Three children among eleven exhumed as Chemmani horror deepens

Eleven skeletal remains, including those of three children, were exhumed from the Chemmani mass grave during excavation activities conducted on Friday.

The excavation marked the 17th day of the third phase of investigations at the site.

Officials and investigators identified 13 skeletal remains during the day's work. Of those, 11 previously identified skeletal remains were fully excavated, including three belonging to children.

With the latest findings, a total of 296 skeletal remains have been identified during excavations at the Chemmani mass grave so far, while 290 have been completely exhumed.

During Friday's excavations, a metal-fragment (Artefact No. 106) was recovered alongside the skeletal remains and has been identified as an item of evidence.

Excavation activities will not take place on the following Saturday. Authorities have stated that work will resume on Sunday.

 

The Chemmani mass grave remains one of the most significant mass grave investigations in the Tamil homeland.

The site first gained international attention in the late 1990s following testimony from a Sri Lankan soldier who alleged that hundreds of Tamils who disappeared during military operations in Jaffna had been secretly buried there.

The ongoing excavations, which have already uncovered hundreds of skeletal remains, including those of children, have renewed calls from families of the disappeared, human rights groups and Tamil political representatives for an independent international investigation into wartime atrocities, enforced disappearances and the role of Sri Lankan state forces in the North-East.

 

 

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