United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, currently on an official visit to Sri Lanka, arrived in Jaffna yesterday (25) at approximately 3:30 p.m. by helicopter. He visited the Chemmani grounds in Sindhupiddy — the site of alleged mass graves — and paid tribute to the victims by laying flowers before the symbolic Anaiya Theepam (Eternal Flame), a vigil lamp lit in memory of the disappeared.
Türk first visited the International Organization for Migration (IOM) office before proceeding to Chemmani. There, he met with lawyers and individuals who had lodged complaints with the Police, inquiring about the nature of the graves and the progress of investigations.
He also observed the protesters, consisting of families of the disappeared, who have been staging a peaceful demonstration for three consecutive days. The protesters handed over a list of missing persons to UN officials and urged accountability for enforced disappearances, alleged abductions by intelligence officers, and the militarisation of Tamil areas. Concerns were raised about Buddha statues being erected in non-Buddhist areas and military vehicles frequently seen near the Chemmani mass graves.
Tensions escalated during the protest when Fisheries Minister Ramalingam Chandrasekaran and NPP MP Rajeevan Jeyachandramoorthy faced strong opposition from protesters and were forced to leave after being accused of attempting to politicise the protest. Protesters stressed that justice for the mass graves should not be exploited for political gain and expressed deep mistrust toward political representatives, including ITAK’s Acting General Secretary C.V.K. Sivagnanam, who also faced a similar reaction and was forced to leave. While ITAK MP S. Shritharan was present at the protest, former MP Sumanthiran did not attend.
Joining the protest, Independent MP Archuna Ramanathan criticised Tamil politicians for remaining silent about Chemmani and other wartime atrocities. He recalled witnessing his close friend being shot allegedly by EPDP members during his childhood and blamed political inaction for the stagnation of the North and East.
Minister Chandrasekaran later addressed the media in Jaffna, condemning the disruption. He stated that his visit was in solidarity with the victims’ families and to support the demand for an international probe. “We fully support the ‘Unextinguished Lamp’ protest. But some are exploiting this struggle for narrow political gains,” he said, denying any connection to the Chemmani atrocities. He added that even party leaders and members from his side had been victims of similar crimes.
He defended his presence, saying he intended to lend international visibility to the protest, not to gain political capital over the Chemmani mass grave.
Meanwhile, a parallel protest in the East was led by ITAK MP Shanakiyan Rasamanickam, who also demanded an international investigation. A grieving mother at the protest, holding a photograph of her missing son, said she believes he was arrested by intelligence officers and is among those buried in Chemmani.
Reports suggest that 19 skeletons were discovered at the site, some allegedly belonging to children.
Tamil journalists also submitted a petition calling for an independent investigation into the Chemmani mass graves.