A Brief Colonial History Of Ceylon(SriLanka)
Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
A Brief Colonial History Of Ceylon(SriLanka)
Sri Lanka: One Island Two Nations
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Back to 500BC.
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Thiranjala Weerasinghe sj.- One Island Two Nations
?????????????????????????????????????????????????Sunday, December 30, 2018
Mannar Mass Grave Site - Financial assistance from OMP
The Office on Missing Persons (OMP), which assisted the investigation
into the human remains at the Mannar mass grave site, said that it would
provide financial assistance to carry out carbon dating of the skeletal
remains as part of its continued support to the investigation.
From December 18 to 20, the OMP observed the process of selecting six
bone samples for radio carbon dating at the Mannar mass grave, located
near the Sathosa Building in Mannar.
In a statement, the OMP said yesterday the samples from the Mannar mass
grave site will be sent to a laboratory abroad which specializes in bomb
pulse carbon-14 technique.
“In cases where the skeletons belonged to persons who died after World
War II, bomb pulse carbon-14 dating can provide a narrower range of time
periods in which the deaths occurred. Six samples were selected to
represent the different areas and vertical layers of the site. Human
remains had been excavated from the site as complete skeletons and as
commingled bones. From complete skeletons, a tooth and a section of the
femur bone was selected. From the commingled bones only the femur or
where it was unavailable a tooth. The samples were extracted, cleaned,
dried, sealed and labelled over the course of three days. Following the
samples being tested at a laboratory and the results being submitted, a
preliminary combined excavation report including the test results and
other findings will be submitted by the investigation team to the
Magistrate Court,” it said.
The process of selecting samples was carried out in the presence of
Mannar Magistrate T. Saravanaraja. The team carrying out the sample
selection included representatives from the Consultant Judicial Medical
Officers, the Post Graduate Institute of Archaeology from the University
of Kelaniya, the Police and the Government Analysts Department. OMP
Commissioners Mr. Mirak Raheem and Mr. K. Venthan were present as
observers. Lawyers representing families of the disappeared and a member
from the Citizens’ Committee were also present as observers.
Consultant Judicial Medical Officer, District General Hospital Mannar,
Dr. S. Rajapaksha said that after 118 working days they have unearthed
278 skeletons, which includes remains of men, women and children.
“There is some damage to the bones, but it is only upon further
investigation that we can determine if these are ante-mortem or
postmortem injuries, and whether it relates to the cause of death. Our
task has been to gather evidence to determine the cause of death, time
since death, the contributing circumstances and the specific identity of
the individuals in this site, and also determine if all the skeletons
are from the same historical period or different periods, while ensuring
the integrity of the site and chain of custody of remains and other
evidence.” Dr. Rajapaksha heads the investigation team and is assisted
by Professor Raj Somadeva who leads the archaeological team.
Prior to the sampling process, the OMP recommended guidelines for
selecting and recording the samples and the OMP recommended measures to
secure the chain of custody of samples.
OMP Chairperson Saliya Pieris said the OMP remains committed to
establishing the truth about circumstances in which persons went missing
and their fate. “It is imperative for the OMP to assist the
investigation of the remains excavated at the Mannar mass grave,” he
said.
The OMP’s application to act as an observer was accepted by the
Honourable Mannar Magistrate on 4th June 2018, and it has been observing
the process of excavation since.
Since July 2018, the OMP has been supporting the costs of food and
lodging of the excavation team and provided additional funds for covers
to protect the grave site from the monsoon rain.
“We have sought to impress on the authorities the need to maintain high
standards and ensure public confidence and trust in the investigation
process,” Mr. Pieris said. (Lahiru Pothmulla)