The third phase of excavation at the alleged Chemmani mass grave site in Jaffna concluded last Wednesday, 19, with another set of human remains located and ten sets fully exhumed. The discoveries brought the total number of identified sets of human remains recovered from the site to 583.
All 583 sets of remains identified during the excavations have now been exhumed after a total of 110 days of active excavation across three phases. The third phase lasted 56 days following court authorisation, while the first and second phases were approved for nine and 45 days respectively.
The recovered remains included 51 clusters, adding to concerns over the scale and nature of the alleged mass graves. However, archaeological, forensic and scientific examinations have yet to establish definitive findings about the remains.
The final day of the latest excavation also produced several items, including an atchara koodu, traditionally worn around the waist, coins, three copper rings fused together and a thaayathu, a protective talisman usually worn around the neck.
The artefacts have been handed over to archaeologist Professor Raj Somadeva, who is expected to submit a report on their likely period on 30 September. His report is also expected to contain a separate section on remains recovered from 14 test pits opened outside the main burial area.
Those test pits have raised the possibility that human remains may extend beyond the principal excavation site. Eight sets of remains were identified in five of the 14 test-pit locations and subsequently excavated.
The discoveries outside the two primary excavation areas have prompted discussions over whether the geographical scope of the investigation should be expanded and whether additional excavation should be authorised.
The next major stage will involve reports and scientific examinations of the material already recovered. Professor Somadeva’s archaeological report, together with a report by Judicial Medical Officer Sellaiah Pranavan on nine sets of remains recovered from principal excavation site 2, is expected to be submitted and reviewed at an administrative meeting scheduled for 14 October.
The Criminal Investigation Department has also said that carbon-14 testing is required. Further decisions on the proposed testing are expected to be considered at the same meeting.
The conclusion of the third excavation phase therefore does not mark the end of the investigation. Instead, major questions surrounding the remains, artefacts and possible extent of the burial area remain dependent on the reports and examinations still to be completed.
A fourth phase of excavation is also possible. Following the discovery of remains in test pits outside the main burial site and concerns that additional skeletal remains may exist in the surrounding area, the Judicial Medical Officer is expected to submit a proposal to the court seeking approval for a further 28 days of excavation.
If approved by the court, the proposal would then have to be forwarded to the Ministry of Justice for funding before further excavation could begin. Funding has already been allocated for examinations of the remains recovered so far, with steps expected to be taken to begin those investigations.
The Chemmani excavations also carry particular significance as they come weeks before the 30th anniversary of the murder of schoolgirl Krishanthy Kumaraswamy, who was raped and murdered by Sri Lankan soldiers at Chemmani on 7 September 1996. Her mother, younger brother and a family friend were also killed after going in search of her.
The case became one of the most notorious atrocities committed by Sri Lankan security forces in Jaffna and eventually led to the exposure of the Chemmani mass graves. During the subsequent trial, a Sri Lankan Army soldier convicted of involvement in Krishanthy’s murder told the court that hundreds of bodies had been buried in the Chemmani area.
With 583 sets of remains now recovered, the investigation has reached a significant stage, but its conclusions remain dependent on archaeological, forensic and scientific examinations that are yet to be completed.
