Child’s toy recovered from Chemmani mass grave as exhumations continue

Excavation teams at the Chemmani mass grave in Jaffna have recovered a child’s toy alongside the skeletal remains of children this week as exhumations continue.

The items were unearthed during the second phase of excavation, which resumed earlier this month, as pressure continues to mount for an international investigation into the mass graves. The site, located in the heavily militarised Sindhupaththin area of Chemmani, has long been associated with the Sri Lankan state’s enforced disappearances and extrajudicial killings of Tamils.

On Sunday, the remains of a child were partially uncovered, identifiable by the presence of a small blue schoolbag. By Monday, excavation teams had fully exhumed the remains, retrieving the satchel from the grave alongside a toy believed to have belonged to a child and a single sandal.

The discovery has reignited calls from Tamil families and rights groups for an international investigation into the atrocities linked to Chemmani. The presence of children’s belongings, alongside entangled skeletal remains, underscores the scale and cruelty of the crimes committed.

Monday marked the fifth day of the second phase of excavations. According to excavation officials, two more complete sets of skeletal remains, believed to be children, were exhumed that day. With these additions, the total number of exhumed remains has risen to 24. Prior to this phase, a total of 33 sets had been identified since the start of the process in May.

Excavators report that the recently unearthed remains were found in a tightly interwoven and entangled state, complicating recovery efforts. No new remains were identified on Monday, as efforts were focused on carefully exhuming those already located.

Meanwhile, soil testing is underway at the site, conducted by experts from Colombo’s Industrial Technology Institute (ITI) following court approval. The analysis is expected to shed further light on the conditions of the graves and may assist with the dating and identification of the victims.

Despite a budget of 12 million rupees allocated for the excavation process, reports indicate that only a portion of the funds has been released, hampering progress. Local officials have warned that further delays could disrupt what little momentum the excavation has gained.

The Chemmani mass grave first came to international attention in 1998, when Sri Lankan soldier Somaratne Rajapakse testified that hundreds of Tamils killed by the military had been buried in the area. Excavations in 1999 confirmed some of these claims, with 15 bodies uncovered at the time. However, the site has never been fully investigated, and no one has been held accountable.

The recent recovery of children’s belongings from Chemmani is a stark reminder of the victims who remain unnamed and uncounted, and of the urgent need for justice that remains unfulfilled. Families of the disappeared and Tamil civil society continue to call for an international, transparent, and independent mechanism to oversee the investigation.