Kanagaranchini, president of an association representing families of the forcibly disappeared, has accused archaeologist Raj Somadeva of helping Sri Lankan authorities conceal alleged atrocities, saying his interim report on the Chemmani mass grave supports the call for an international investigation.
Speaking about Somadeva’s report, she said successive Sri Lankan governments had committed genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes against Tamils. She said families had spent 15 years searching for relatives who were handed over to the military in army-controlled areas during the final stages of the war in 2009.
Kanagaranchini described the Chemmani site, first brought to public attention in 1996, as evidence of a planned campaign against Tamils. She said around 600 sets of human remains had now been excavated. When remains were discovered at the Chemmani Chindupathi cemetery, she said, families of the disappeared held a protest demanding an international inquiry.
She said the families, civil society groups and Tamil political parties had repeatedly argued that an investigation conducted under the Sri Lankan government would not deliver truth or justice. According to her, the government rejected calls for an international inquiry and for international experts to participate.
Kanagaranchini criticised the interim report, which she said was about 170 pages long, for suggesting that those buried at Chemmani may have died from infectious disease or natural disaster. She questioned why the report did not identify when such a large number of deaths might have occurred.
She also challenged the possibility that many bodies could have been buried in shallow, mass graves at a site where Hindus traditionally cremate their dead. She said children’s remains had reportedly been found with school bags provided by a non-governmental organisation, and criticised Somadeva for not addressing the claim. She further alleged that the report omitted the area’s wartime military-control status and referred to photographs she said showed broken and interconnected bones.
Kanagaranchini called on foreign governments and diplomatic missions to press for a United Nations investigation into Chemmani.
The claims and criticisms in this report are attributed to Kanagaranchini. No response from Somadeva or Sri Lankan authorities was included in the material provided.
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