More infant remains recovered as Chemmani toll reaches 544

TAMIL GUARDIAN

The remains of five children, believed from their size to be in the infant to toddler age range, were among 15 sets recovered at the Chemmani mass grave in Jaffna in a single day, as the total identified at the site rose to 544 and the court-authorised excavation period neared its end.

The children’s remains were found on Tuesday, the 103rd day of excavation across the three phases, in one of the largest single-day tallies of the current phase. The precise ages, sexes and circumstances of death have not been established.

An amulet was recovered from the pelvic area of one of the skeletons, while a one-rupee coin was found separately among excavated soil. No further information has been provided about either item or their possible significance.

The remains of infants and young children have been recovered repeatedly throughout the excavation, alongside artefacts including a child’s milk-feeding bottle, a school bag, bangles, footwear, socks and toys. In one instance a larger set of remains was found embracing or positioned around a smaller set.

Remains in every test pit

Five further sets of remains were found on Wednesday, the 104th day, while six previously identified sets were exhumed, bringing the total identified to 544 and the number fully exhumed to 530. Wednesday marked the 50th day of the third phase, for which the court authorised 56 days, leaving six days remaining.

Human remains have now been identified in every trial trench dug at the site. The two randomly positioned test pits near the main burial area yielded remains on both Tuesday and Wednesday, one set in each pit on Tuesday and further remains the following day. The pits were opened precisely to establish whether burials extended beyond the principal areas under investigation, and their results have strengthened concerns that the site is considerably larger than the area excavated so far.

Preliminary planning has begun on expanding the search area and extending the test pits, though final decisions on the scope and manner of any expansion are expected in the coming days, against an increasingly narrow timeframe.

Official photographs of evidence and other items recovered during the excavation were taken on Wednesday, with steps being taken to submit them to the court.

Recovery without identification

Despite the scale and duration of the excavation, no forensic findings have been made public. The scientific testing needed to establish the identities of the dead, and the circumstances and causes of their deaths, has yet to be disclosed, and the identification of those already recovered has still not begun.

Following an open court session at the excavation site last week, officials and experts agreed that a comprehensive report on the Ground Penetrating Radar survey already conducted should be submitted to court alongside its scientific interpretation, together with a separate report detailing the evidence and other material recovered from the grave. Those reports are expected to inform decisions on whether further examinations are necessary, including scientific dating of the remains.

The court has also accepted applications seeking to ensure that investigators’ reports and photographs documenting the recovery of remains, including material produced by the forensic, archaeological and Judicial Medical Officer teams, are incorporated into the case record, with directions issued to obtain outstanding reports and material.

A decision on whether excavation will continue beyond the currently authorised period is expected around 19 August, in the final week of the present schedule, while the parties are due back before the court on 14 October to consider the reports and the proposed further investigations. The Democratic Tamil National Alliance spokesperson Suresh Premachandran this week urged the government not to wait until all remains are recovered before beginning DNA testing, arguing that Sri Lanka lacks the forensic capacity to identify the dead and that the work should be entrusted to international institutions.

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