Parents of Disappeared Demand Investigation

[TamilNet, Monday, 17 August 1998, 13:16 GMT]
The body 'Parents of Disappeared Persons' has collected 10,000 signatures backing its petition to the Sri Lanka Government (SLG) demanding that the alleged mass graves at Chemmani be excavated, said sources in Jaffna.

The petition also states that an impartial inquiry should be held into the allegations and justice meted out. The Parents of Disappeared Persons is a non-political body which was formed in Jaffna in the wake of a spate of disappearances which occurred after the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) took control of Jaffna in late 1995.

The alleged existence of the mass graves first came into public knowledge after a soldier convicted of rape and murder made a statement claiming to know the location of the graves.

The soldier, who has been sentenced to death for the rape and murder of schoolgirl Kirishanthy Kumaraswamy, said that between 300 - 400 people who disappeared after the Sri Lanka army took control of the Jaffna peninsula were buried in these graves.

The Sri Lankan Government is yet to take a firm decision as to what to do although a military inquiry has been set up and the Sri Lanka army has sealed off the area. It is not yet known whether independent international experts will participate in the investigation.