Sri Lanka resumes Chemmani mass grave site excavation

A Sri Lankan court has ordered the recommencement of excavation work on a mass grave in Chemmani, on the outskirts of Jaffna, which first came into focus during the LTTE conflict in the 1990s, seven months after it was halted.

The excavation work in Chemmani in the Northern Province came to a halt in September last year due to the pending new allocation of funds by the Ministry of Justice.

The Jaffna magistrate’s court was told on Tuesday that LKR 2.1 million allocation has been made available so that work can be resumed.

The court granted permission for diplomatic representatives from the EU, France, Germany, Italy and Romania to be present for observations at the excavation site.

When the second stage of work was halted after 45 days, 240 skeletal remains had been excavated.