United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk reflected on his visit to the Chemmani mass grave site near Jaffna on Wednesday, reiterating the importance of ensuring “independent experts with forensic expertise” are allowed to be used to excavate such sites of mass atrocities.

A cross-section of Tamil political leaders and civil society representatives handed a letter to UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk during his visit to the island, urging the United Nations to maintain a firm stance on accountability for mass atrocities committed in Sri Lanka and not allow the Sri Lankan government to exploit his visit to undermine international pressure.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, visited the Chemmani mass grave site in Jaffna on Wednesday, as well as a vigil set up by Tamil protestors where he laid flowers before a flame amid calls for international accountability over wartime atrocities.

Protesters at the ongoing Chemmani vigil in Jaffna forcibly removed Sri Lankan Fisheries Minister Ramalingam Chandrasekar from the site on Wednesday, rejecting his presence and demanding that he leave immediately.

The ongoing protest demanding justice for the victims of the Chemmani mass graves entered its third consecutive day on Wednesday, with families of the disappeared maintaining a solemn vigil at the site in Jaffna.

A statue of SJV Chelvanayakam, fondly known as Thanthai Chelva, the leader widely regarded as the father of the Tamil nation, was found vandalised in Mannar during the early hours of 25 June, prompting outrage from Tamil political figures and local residents.

During United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk’s visit to the Eastern Province on Tuesday, Tamil victims, families of the disappeared, civil society representatives, and human rights activists staged a protest and submitted a statement outlining urgent demands and concerns.

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk warned Sri Lanka against falling into the “impunity trap” and urged the government “to hold to account the perpetrators of the most severe crimes” during an address in Colombo on Tuesday.

Chemmani, a village on the outskirts of Jaffna, is a serene and beautiful town that has come to take on a notorious reputation. It is the site of mass graves, where potentially, hundreds of Tamils who were murdered by the Sri Lankan military lie buried.

The state-owned ailing airline declared a loss of 8.4 billion LKR over the 2024/2025 financial year, requiring an extra allocation of nearly 30 billion LKR to keep it afloat. 

The “Unextinguished Flame” vigil demanding justice for the Chemmani mass graves entered its second consecutive day on Tuesday, as Tamils gathered near the Jaffna junction in Chemmani to press for international accountability.

Tamil landowners in Valikamam North, Jaffna, continued their protest for the fourth consecutive day on Tuesday, demanding the return of over 2,400 acres of land still occupied by the Sri Lankan military within the so-called ‘High Security Zone’ (HSZ).

A Sri Lankan Airlines Airbus A320 has suffered multiple system failures of key instruments during a flight from Colombo to Singapore, forcing an emergency landing in Medan, Indonesia, after declaring a mayday to air traffic controllers. 

A demonstration under the banner “Rise for Freedom, Tamils” took place on Monday outside the European Union headquarters in Brussels, as Tamils gathered to demand international justice for the Tamil genocide and reaffirm their call for the liberation of Tamil Eelam.