by Journalists for Democracy in Sri Lanka, Europe, February 12, 2020
A judge has ordered methodical excavations of a site in Sri Lanka’s former war zone after construction workers discovered skeletal remains considered as belonging to humans.
The bones were unearthed from the Mankulam hospital site in the Mullaitivu district when land clearance was done to build a new rehabilitation on 12 February.
Mullaitivu District Judge S Lenin Kumar who conducted the preliminary investigations ordered the police to secure the site and commence excavations on the next day. He further instructed Mankulam police officials to provide a record of the history of the site.
The judge visited the site after Mines Advisory Group (MAG) staff who were clearing landmines in the area alerted the police of the discovery of suspected human remains.
Mannar mass grave
Pieces of clothing as well as those similar to sarongs worn by men was also found alongside the skeletal remains.
Battered by fighting for nearly three decades, Mankulam had been under the control of the Sri Lankan military as well as Tamil Tiger rebels who were at war.
Sri Lanka military’s 59 Division and the Task Force III troops finally captured Mankulam on the 17 th of November 2008.
The country’s largest mass grave discovered since the end of war in 2009 was first found in 2018 May from the north western district of Mannar.
So far at least 300 human skeletons have been recovered from that site. 28 of them belonged to children.