Umaachandra Prakash, the Northern Provincial Organiser of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya (SJB) and a member of the Colombo Municipal Council, has called for an international investigation into the Chemmani mass grave, where dozens of human skeletal remains have recently been unearthed in Jaffna.
Speaking at a press conference held at the Jaffna Press Club on Tuesday, Umaachandra stated that the SJB has been consistently gathering information related to the ongoing excavation at the Chemmani site and submitting it to party leader and Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa. She added that Premadasa is expected to raise the matter in Parliament imminently.
She emphasised that the Chemmani mass grave issue resonates deeply with the emotions and experiences of the Tamil people and affirmed that the party’s stance is that justice must be served to the victims. To that end, she insisted that an international investigation is essential.
The call for international oversight comes as the number of skeletal remains recovered from the Chemmani mass grave has risen to 65, following weeks of forensic excavation work.
Local activists and survivors continue to demand international accountability and forensic oversight of the Chemmani site. Calls for international investigations have been echoed by Tamil politicians, civil society organisations, and human rights groups, many of whom have highlighted Sri Lanka’s history of impunity and its repeated failure to deliver credible justice mechanisms for atrocities.
