Somaratne’s Revelation Seen as Breakthrough – Families of the Disappeared in the North and East

05-Aug-2025

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Families of those who were forcibly disappeared during the Sri Lankan civil war in the North and East have welcomed the revelations by Lance Corporal Somaratne Rajapakse, calling it a rare opportunity to push forward demands for international justice. 

Describing it as “a stroke of luck,” they called on victims’ families, Tamil political parties, civil society organizations, and the Tamil diaspora to seize this opportunity.

The letter sent by Rajapakse’s wife to the President indicates that he is prepared not only to testify regarding the Chemmani mass graves but also to disclose information about other wartime torture chambers and mass killings in the Jaffna region. 

A. Leeladevi, secretary of the association representing families of the disappeared, emphasized the need for collective pressure—both domestically and internationally—to compel the Sri Lankan state to permit an international investigation.

She underscored that the Sri Lankan government has shown no intention of initiating such a probe and stressed the importance of advocacy among foreign diplomats and human rights organizations to ensure that justice is achieved for the victims.