Overview

• Excavations at a cremation ground near Jaffna have uncovered personal effects such as a baby bottle, a squeaky toy and a schoolbag, with tests identifying one skeleton as a girl aged 4–6 found with the bag.
• Within a 165-square-meter zone, many remains were in shallow, disorganized graves and largely without clothing, consistent with a mass burial site identified in June.
• The identities of the dead and the cause and timing of their deaths are still unknown, and advocates are pressing for DNA analysis, a national DNA bank and international forensic assistance.
• A 1998 soldier’s testimony referred to as many as 400 bodies buried in Chemmani, and limited digs conducted in 1999 were later halted.
• An army spokesman says the military has not been formally accused and will respect the police- and court-led process, as families of the missing visit the site seeking answers.