Stadium grave exhumation planned

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 April 1999, 13:56 GMT]
The excavation of graves near the Duraiappa stadium in Jaffna will commence at 7.30 a.m. tomorrow under the direction of the district's Judicial Medical Officer (JMO) S.V Sri Rajeswaran.
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Chemmani case moves to Colombo

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 31 March 1999, 18:57 GMT]
Mr.Yasantha Kothagoda, a senior counsel in Sri Lanka's Attorney General's Department, said today that the Chemmani case will be taken up in the Colombo magistrate's court tomorrow.
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Tamil parties to protest Trinco colonisation

[TamilNet, Sunday, 28 March 1999, 18:10 GMT]
The TULF, PLOTE, EPDP, TELO and the EPRLF resolved this evening in Colombo to ask the Sri Lankan government to stop colonisation of Sinhalese in Trincomalee and to evict the Sinhala settlers.
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Replacement judge clears Chemmani visit

[TamilNet, Friday, 05 March 1999, 10:58 GMT]
A newly appointed additional magistrate for Jaffna who was flown in this morning with the special team of CID officers, senior state counsel and government forensic experts granted permission in the Jaffna courts today for inspecting the alleged grave site at Chemmani and taking a soil sample from the general area for analysis.
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News in Brief:

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 March 1999, 14:28 GMT]
Security tightens around alleged Chemmani mass grave; Sri Lankan Army orders Tamil groups to not to drive vehicles with tinted glass; Night time curfew imposed in Mannar; Malaria on increase in the Vanni; Two policemen wounded in grenade attack.
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Army arrest figures released

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 March 1999, 11:04 GMT]
The Sri Lankan Army (SLA) informed the Human Rights Commission (HRC) in Jaffna that 1408 persons were "legally arrested" by them in the peninsula during 1996 and 1997. According to the figures released by the SLA, 991 persons were arrested in 1996, while 417 were arrested in 1997.
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US Caucus meets on human rights in Sri Lanka

[TamilNet, Thursday, 04 March 1999, 10:37 GMT]
The US Congressional Human Rights Caucus members briefing on "Human Rights Developments in Sri Lanka" took place on March 2 at Rayburn House. It was attended by officials from the US State department, UNHCR, Amnesty International and other non governmental organisations.
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Chemmani visit, regardless of Magistrate

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 02 March 1999, 17:54 GMT]
Officials at the Attorney General's department in Colombo said today that the preliminary survey and investigation of the alleged graves at Chemmani in Jaffna would be carried out on March 5, even if it is not possible to obtain the magistrate's order for the purpose.
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Attorney General co ordinates Chemmani investigation

[TamilNet, Friday, 26 February 1999, 11:00 GMT]
Sri Lanka's Attorney General's office said today that it expected the Jaffna magistrate to fix a date for the exhumation of the alleged mass graves of Tamil civilians at Chemmani.
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'Chemmani graves need international investigation'

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 24 February 1999, 19:50 GMT]
The Jaffna district leader of the LTTE's political wing, S.Thooyavan, said today, in a letter sent to magistrates in the peninsula that the Chemmani mass grave issue must be investigated by representatives of international human rights bodies, and not by the local courts.
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Foreign ministry withdraws Chemmani statement

[TamilNet, Thursday, 18 February 1999, 14:15 GMT]
The Foreign Ministry spokesman today apologised for the mistakes in its statement on the alleged mass grave at Chemmani which was issued last Wednesday.
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Court to protest Chemmani excavations plan

[TamilNet, Friday, 12 February 1999, 00:00 GMT]
Legal sources in Jaffna expressed shock and dismay at the statement by the Sri Lanka's foreign Ministry on Wednesday and by the SLA spokesman, Brig.Sunil Tennekoon yesterday that the alleged mass grave at Chemmani would be exhumed on March 5, according to orders of the Jaffna court.
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Chemmani graves to be exhumed

[TamilNet, Thursday, 11 February 1999, 10:13 GMT]
The alleged mass graves at Chemmani in the northern Jaffna peninsula, where the bodies of hundreds of people who 'disappeared' in Sri Lankan military custody are said to be buried, is to be excavated, announced the Military spokesman Brigadier Sunil Tennekoon at the cabinet press briefing held today in the Parliament committee room. Excavation will commence on March 5, he said.
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Kadirgamar shaken up, down under

[TamilNet, Friday, 29 January 1999, 12:23 GMT]
Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Laxshman Kadirgamar faced some tough questions during an interview with Peter Mares of Australia's Radio National. Rattled by Mare's probing about the Chemmani mass graves, peace talks and the government's peace package, Mr. Kadirgamar lost his temper, became defensive and accused the former of being an apologist for the LTTE.
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Chemmani cover up suspected

[TamilNet, Friday, 08 January 1999, 20:05 GMT]
Jaffna district judge, A.E Ekanaathan, today told the Sri Lankan Criminial Investigation Division (CID) Superintendant of Police, Nanda Munasinghe, that a soil expert has to examine the site of the alleged mass grave in Chemmani in Jaffna before excavation could begin.
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"Human rights cases denied adequate aid"

[TamilNet, Thursday, 17 December 1998, 22:57 GMT]
The Director of the Trincomalee Legal Aid Centre, Mr. Sivapalan, said that the Sri Lankan Government does not give adequate help to those who file human rights cases. Mr Sivapalan, who is also a lawyer, made these comments while speaking at a seminar to mark Human Rights Day.
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Action urged over Chemmani graves

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 16 December 1998, 19:13 GMT]
The Vanni Citizen's Committee has urged the UN Commission for Human Rights to intervene in the affair of the Chemmani mass graves and to bring pressure to bear on the Sri Lankan government to take appropriate action against those responsible for the killings of those buried in the graves.
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Congressional discussion focuses on Rights violations

[TamilNet, Saturday, 12 December 1998, 17:56 GMT]
A five member panel of experts on Human Rights violations in Sri Lanka, speaking at Congressional Human Rights Caucus staff round table discussions, were unanimous in their call to the Sri Lankan Government to expedite the investigations into the alleged mass graves at Chemmani, Jaffna where up to 400 bodies of Tamils disappeared in 1996 and 1997 may be buried.
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Jaffna protest over human rights

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 December 1998, 17:16 GMT]
The Missing Persons Guardian Association (MPGA) and 15 other Non Governmental Organisations in Jaffna sent a memorandum to the Secretary General of the United Nations, Kofi Annan on December 10, to mark Human Rights Day.
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Tamils join HR vigil at UN

[TamilNet, Friday, 11 December 1998, 08:26 GMT]
The Association of Sri Lankan Tamils joined more than 45 international organizations in a rally and candlelight vigil in front of UN headquarters in New York yesterday afternoon to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Universal declaration of Human Rights at the United Nations.
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