Workers from the British demining organisation Mine Action Group (MAG) have uncovered human skeletal remains during landmine clearance operations at a children’s park in Sampur, in the Trincomalee district. The discovery was made on Sunday 20 July, just metres from the location where at least 57 Tamil civilians were massacred by Sri Lankan government forces in July 1990.
Among the remains discovered was a human skull, prompting immediate judicial intervention. Moothur Magistrate M. M. Nasleem visited the site and, following a preliminary inspection, ordered a suspension of all clearance work until 23 July to facilitate further investigation and archaeological excavation.
The site lies in close proximity to Sampur beach, a location that has long been associated with a brutal atrocity committed by Sri Lankan troops. On 7 July 1990, at least 57 Tamil civilians, many of them women and children, were reportedly shot and hacked to death by the Sri Lankan military. More than 150 Tamils are thought to have been killed in the offensives overall.
Tamils commemorating the Sampur massacre earlier this month.
Despite repeated calls from victims’ families and human rights organisations, there has been no meaningful investigation or accountability for the massacre to date.
The discovery of skeletal remains so near the site of the mass killing has reignited calls for an international monitored, independent forensic investigation. It comes just weeks after another mass grave was found in Chemmani, in Jaffna.
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