International Cooperation Essential to Uncover Chemmani Truth, Chanakyan Tells Norwegian Officials

21-Jun-2026

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ITAK Parliamentary Group Leader Rasamanickam Chanakyan has stressed to Norwegian officials that international cooperation is essential to uncover the truth regarding the Chemmani mass grave.

During a visit to Oslo as part of his European tour, Chanakyan met officials of Norway’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including Deputy Director for South Asia and Afghanistan, Bie Gabrielsen.

The discussions focused on recent political and human rights developments in Sri Lanka, particularly issues affecting the Tamil community.

A key topic was the investigation into the Chemmani mass grave.

Chanakyan informed the Norwegian officials that more than 380 human skeletons had so far been discovered during excavations, making Chemmani potentially the largest mass grave identified in Sri Lanka.

He expressed concern over the lack of significant progress in identifying the remains and noted that Sri Lanka currently lacks adequate forensic and technical capacity to undertake such a large-scale identification process.

He emphasised the need for international forensic expertise and technical assistance to ensure a credible, transparent and independent investigation in line with international standards.

Chanakyan further observed that there had been no clear indication that the Government was prepared to seek the international cooperation required to identify victims, establish the circumstances of their deaths and provide answers to families.

He noted that remains recovered from the Chemmani site in 1998 are still preserved in Scotland and that DNA testing could be resumed immediately if the Government sought international cooperation.

The meeting also reviewed broader issues including accountability, democratic governance, land rights, enforced disappearances, economic development, the Prevention of Terrorism Act and meaningful devolution of power.