THE LESSONS SRI LANKA DID NOT LEARN FROM THE EASTER SUNDAY ATTACK, AND WILL REGRET ONE DAY

Last week, Parliament erupted with allegations and counter-allegations in yet another adjournment debate over the Easter Sunday Attacks. ITAK MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam, who moved the motion on behalf of the Opposition argued that the NPP government, which promised human rights and accountability, including 'revealing the truth about the Easter Sunday attack', had failed to fulfil its promises, including in the Easter Sunday attack and 'recent mass murders' revealed in the Chemmani mass grave. The latter might need clarification, though; it is not the focus of this column.

- By Ranga Jayasuriya

Chemmani mass grave, which was disclosed by former soldier Somaratne Rajapakse, the main accused of the murder of Krishanti Kumaraswamy and three members of her family, was extensively excavated from 1999 to 2006, and 15 skeletons were found. Several soldiers were initially indicted for the murders, and Rajapakse is serving a life sentence. The mass grave currently under excavation is different from the site pointed out by Rajapaksa and is a former burial site at Ariyalai, Sindhubathi. On February 13 this year, construction workers who were there to build a crematorium found human remains, leading to allegations of a mass grave. So far, 33 skeletons have been found, including some toys and a school bag. Skeleton remains should be carbon dated and subjected to forensic examination to identify the circumstances of their death and the approximate period for which the government has allocated 12 million rupees. Only the forensic findings could establish whether they were victims of mass murders, as ITAK MP and a host of the Tamil diaspora have alleged. This does not mean to dispute the fact that Sri Lanka had a violent past, and victims of the untrammelled violence in the past should receive justice. But the unholy enthusiasm to jump the gun is not exactly a quest for justice. Rather, it betrays an ulterior motive to profit from the pain of the survivors, and probably win a consolation prize for the vanquished LTTE.

Earlier, a carbon dating report by a US-based laboratory found six skeletons in another mass grave in Mannar as belonging to the era between 1499 and 1719 AD. Another mass grave in Matale was carbon dated to a period before 1950.