In the wake of the Ministry of Public Security stating that it is not practical to frequently rotate or assign different Police officers to the Chemmani mass grave site in Jaffna, the Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka (HRCSL) stated that the credibility of the process cannot be ensured by deploying officers from nearby Police stations.
Speaking to The Daily Morning, HRCSL Commissioner Nimal G. Punchihewa said that the credibility of the related investigation process must be maintained. As the affected people are also suspicious of the officers at the surrounding Police stations, he said that the people are doubtful about their involvement in the progress of the investigations.
“When dealing with something like this, we must be sensitive to the feelings and thoughts of the people. Therefore, an alternative course of action must be taken. What happens when the authorities are not sensitive to the people is that even if we say the right thing, the people are not ready to accept it. Even if we say that the Police officers can’t influence the investigations, if people think otherwise, we must use appropriate alternatives for that.”
The HRCSL recently carried out a fact-finding mission at the Chemmani site, where more than 200 human remains have already been unearthed. During its visit, the HRCSL met with staff from the Office on Missing Persons, attorneys and civil society representatives of families of the disappeared, Jaffna Magistrate at the time Amalavalan Anandarajah (since elevated as a High Court Judge), and other parties.
It concluded that overseas expertise and advanced technology would be required to complete the investigation effectively, warning again that the involvement of regular Police personnel could prejudice its outcome.
When queried by The Daily Morning about the HRCSL’s concerns, the Public Security Minister Ananda Wijepala defended the deployment of the local Police, stating that officers are assigned on a roster basis and are stationed solely to provide security at the site.
“That is how policing is done. Officers have to be deployed to a particular place from nearby stations. There is no alternative. We can’t deploy Police officers from Colombo to Chemmani, can we?”
Wijepala further pointed out that the dig was taking place under judicial supervision and that the Police lack any authority to influence or interfere in the process.
Excavations at Chemmani resumed in July of this year under court supervision, with archaeologists, forensic experts, and the Criminal Investigation Department overseeing the work. To date, more than 200 sets of human remains have been recovered, making it one of the largest mass graves uncovered in the Northern Province since the end of the internal conflict.
(Buddhika Samaraweera – The Daily Morning)
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