Sajith Must Also Call for an International Investigation into the Chemmani Mass Grave: Ravikaran
22-Oct-2026.
Duraithurai Ravikaran, Member of Parliament for the Vanni District representing the Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK), has urged Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa to extend his call for international expert involvement beyond the death of elephant Kavanthissa to include the Chemmani mass grave, enforced disappearances and the Mullivaikkal Tamil genocide.
Ravikaran called on Premadasa to stand alongside the Tamil political representatives and the Tamil people in seeking the involvement of international experts and an international judicial investigation into these matters.
He made these remarks while speaking during the adjournment debate on the current situation in the country, held in Parliament on October 20, 2026.
Speaking further, he said that the deaths of more than 300 elephants and over 100 people on average every year due to human-elephant conflict constituted an ecological disaster. He urged the government to take action to control the escalating conflict.
He also drew Parliament's attention to the destruction of livelihood lands, property and possessions belonging to people in various parts of the Mullaitivu District as a result of human-elephant conflict.
The recent death of elephant Kavanthissa, which was injured after being shot at and subsequently died, has become a major topic of discussion across the country.
According to official government statistics, more than 300 elephants have died every year as a result of human-elephant conflict since 2018.
It has been reported that the highest annual death toll, amounting to 488 elephants, occurred in 2023, when the President was the leader of the Elephant Party. During the first seven months of 2026, 180 wild elephants and 35 people lost their lives.
The Ministerial and government statistics, he said, demonstrated that the annual deaths of more than 300 elephants and over 100 people constituted both a humanitarian and an ecological disaster.
In this regard, a person was also killed by an elephant in the Alankulam area, within the Thunukkai Divisional Secretariat Division of the Mullaitivu District, on the day of his speech.
Ravikaran said that media reports had indicated that Opposition Leader Sajith Premadasa was seeking the assistance of foreign experts to ensure transparency in the investigation into the death of elephant Kavanthissa, which occurred the previous week.
He said there was no need to elaborate further on the long-standing demands of the Tamil people when the Opposition Leader himself was seeking the assistance of foreign experts to ensure a fair and transparent investigation into the elephant's death.
More than 580 of their relatives, whose remains have been reduced to bones in the Chemmani mass grave, are still awaiting justice. Their relatives who were handed over to the Sri Lankan armed forces in the final stages of the war remain forcibly disappeared.
Ravikaran further stated that successive governments had failed to deliver justice in relation to these matters and the genocide carried out by the Sri Lankan state in disregard of international humanitarian principles during the final stages of the war.
Through Parliament, he appealed to the Opposition Leader to stand alongside the Tamil people and support their demand for international expert involvement and an international judicial investigation to ensure transparency and justice in these cases.
He also stressed that elephants were essential to the survival of forests and that peaceful coexistence between humans and elephants was equally important for the prosperity of the country.
He cited another statistic indicating that the improper use of explosive devices had affected the hearing capacity of 30 per cent of elephants.
Therefore, he urged the government to take further measures to reduce human-elephant conflict. In addition to installing electric fences, the government should ensure their regular maintenance, protect elephant habitats, educate the public on precautionary measures, establish trained emergency response teams, introduce safe temporary barriers and consider appropriate compensation for affected people, he said.
