Chemmani Mass Grave is a Trial by Fire for the Anura Government: Mano Ganesan's Statement
20-Jul-2025.
The responsibility to establish justice in the case of the Chemmani mass grave now lies with the government led by Anura Kumara Dissanayake.
Therefore, the Chemmani mass grave has become a "trial by fire" for his administration, said Mano Ganesan, Member of Parliament and leader of the Tamil Progressive Alliance.
He made these comments while addressing the media following a protest held at the Colombo Fort Railway Station demanding justice for the Chemmani mass grave victims.
He further stated: The skeletal remains of innocent Tamil women, children, and civilians who were dug up, cut down, and discarded, are being unearthed from Chemmani. This is a stark symbol of the state terrorism that Eelam Tamils have been subjected to for decades.
The Anura-led government, which has come to power under the banner of the "Sri Lankan Government", now faces its trial by fire. It has a duty to prove itself by addressing this issue with justice.
Moreover, evidence has emerged that several other mass graves exist in the South as well. These too must be investigated and justice delivered. During our good governance period, we—along with Tamil parties from the North and East—initiated several efforts under intense pressure. We took matters to the UN. We passed resolutions. We secured the release of many political prisoners. We returned significant portions of occupied land. We established offices for missing persons and compensation claims. We worked on a new constitution to address the root cause of war—the national ethnic issue—by seeking a power-sharing solution.
We could not complete all of this within four years. Nor could it have been completed fully in that timeframe. But we provided a good beginning. It is now the duty of this government to carry forward the work we began. As a first step, send the officers from the Office for Missing Persons to the site. I urge President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to begin at least with this action.
