Chemmani bodies
EXCAVATORS authorised by the Sri Lankan government unearthed two human skeletons from a gravesite at Chemmani in Jaffna on 17 June. The remains are believed to be those of Rasiah Satheeskumar and Mahendran Babu, both employees of a workshop in Ariyalai, three miles east of Jaffna town. The site was identified by Army corporal Somaratne Rajapakse who, along with five others, was sentenced to death last July in the Krishanthy Kumarasamy murder case. In early June, Mr Rajapakse’s wife received letters threatening dire consequences, if her husband identified the graves. Amnesty International says more than 400 Jaffna people disappeared after arrest by the security forces in 1996. Representatives of Amnesty International, Physicians for Human Rights and Asia Foundation were present as observers during the excavation which was supervised by Jaffna Additional Magistrate M Ilancheliyan. In his evidence to the magistrate, Mr Rajapakse said that he knows details of murder of people and a torture chamber where he saw the bodies of a number of victims. He also said that he witnessed the murder of a Tamil couple who were bludgeoned to death by Army officers in Ariyalai.
Reports say that three other soldiers convicted in the Krishanthy case have said in their evidence to the Sri Lankan Human Rights Commission that bodies are also buried in Ariyalai. They are also reported to have stated that senior military officers involved in the disappearance of a large number of Tamils are currently serving in other areas. In late June, Tamil political parties urged the government to take action against those responsible for the murders. In the light of continuing military operations and the forthcoming national elections, observers believe that government response is highly unlikely.
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