London, 17 June 2025 – In response to the discovery of a new mass grave in Chemmani, located in Sri Lanka’s Northern Province, British Tamil Member of Parliament Uma Kumaran has written to the UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, urging continued support for truth and justice regarding wartime atrocities in Sri Lanka.
MP Uma Kumaran described the unearthing of the mass grave — which included the bodies of three babies — as a harrowing reminder of the atrocities committed during the final stages of the Sri Lankan civil war. She referenced the 2024 report by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, which raised concerns about Sri Lanka’s lack of resources to conduct proper exhumations in line with international standards and urged the Sri Lankan government to seek international support.
In her letter, Kumaran called on the UK Government to set out any current or planned support for these efforts and emphasized the need for justice, reconciliation, and accountability. She requested that UK ministers and senior officials prioritize this issue during any bilateral engagements with Sri Lanka.
Highlighting the sanctions imposed by the UK in March this year, she praised the Labour Government’s tradition of standing up for global justice and victims’ rights. MP Kumaran reiterated her call for war crime perpetrators to be referred to the International Criminal Court, aligning with the recommendation of the UN Human Rights Chief.
> “We owe it to survivors, to the families still searching for answers, and to the next generation growing up in the shadow of these crimes,” she stated in closing.
□ Eelaththu Nilavan □
19/06/2025
The views expressed in this article are the author’s own and do not necessarily reflect Amizhthu’s editorial stance.
