Sumanthiran urges to study the Nesiah Commission Report

23-Jul-2025

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M.A. Sumanthiran, General Secretary of the Tamil National Alliance, has urged that the findings of the commission led by Dr. Devanesan Nesiah on disappearances in Jaffna be re-examined in connection with human remains found at the recently excavated Semmanikkulam mass grave.

The Human Rights Commission of Sri Lanka appointed the commission, comprising Dr. Nesiah, K.H. Camillus Fernando, Jameesha Ismail, and M.C.M. Iqbal, which submitted its report on October 28, 2003. 

The report examined enforced disappearances in Jaffna, Kilinochchi, and Vavuniya from 1990 to 1998, including the forced eviction of homeowners.

The report contains names, ages, last known locations, direct eyewitness accounts, and complainant details of those disappeared. Sumanthiran believes linking this report with current forensic findings could reveal vital truths about the victims.