By Dinasena Ratugamage in The Island, July 8, 2023
Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP M.A. Sumanthiran on Friday said that the excavation of a supposed mass grave of LTTE cadres at Kokkuthuduwai, Mullativu, was not being carried out according to international standards.
The excavation of the alleged mass grave site commenced on Thursday (06) following an order of the Mullaitivu magistrate.On 29 June, officials of the National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB) found human skeletal remains while carrying out a water project.
The police cordoned off the area and informed of the discovery to the Mullaitivu Magistrate’s Court. Magistrate T. Saravanaraja ordered the police to start excavations on 06 July and was present at the site on Thursday.
Representatives from the police, CID officials, Archaeology Department and members of an organisation that agitates for the rights of those missing during the war, were present. Officers of the bomb disposal squad of the Special Task Force (STF), too, were present.
TNA MP M.A. Sumanthiran, too, arrived at the site on Friday and told journalists that he is not pleased about how excavations are taking place.Sumanthiran said that it is likely that the skeletal remains are from those who disappeared during the war.Excavations are ongoing.
https://island.lk/sumanthiran-excavation-of-supposed-mass-grave-site-doesnt-conform-to-international-standards/
