Presidential Com. to probe Matale mass grave
* 54 page report submitted to Matale Court
* Discovery made last year
Danushka Godakubura and Mahinda Aluthgedera
A Presidential Commission is to be appointed shortly to inquire into
the Matale mass grave issue, Presidential Media Spokesman Mohan
Samaranayake said. He said President Mahinda Rajapaksa decided to
appoint a Commission to conduct a full inquiry into the Matale mass
grave issue and this is in addition to Police investigations.
Samaranayake said President Rajapaksa would shortly announce the
composition of the Commission and the modalities to be followed by the
Commission. The skeletal remains were first discovered last year by
workers building a facility at the Matale Hospital.
The Post Graduate Institute had submitted a 54 page report to the
Matale Court containing its findings on the mass grave.
The report also included the suggested approximate time of the
alleged killings.
Prof Raj Somadeva of the Post Graduate Institute said the report was
prepared based on their findings on the mass grave.
They found two rings, a button, pieces of plaster, buttons, charcoal,
pieces of plastic and empty bottles that contained chemical spirits.
The plaster is alleged to be from a plaster of 1986 vintage, produced
in England by Burn-Bund Company and the bottle was identified as one
that was at the hospital in 1989.
The JVP had called for a thorough investigation after hundreds of
skulls and skeletal remains were unearthed during excavations near the
Matale Hospital. Around 55 skeletons and 81 skulls were found in the
mass grave. Excavation was conducted on court orders.
There are diverse views in respect of the skulls and skeletons found.
Some allege that these could belong to those killed in the 1848 Matale
uprising, 1915 anti-Muslim riots and also of those who died in 1947
following a chicken pox outbreak. |