News
JVP breakaway FSP takes up mass grave found within Colombo Port premises
JVP-splinter Frontline Socialist Party-led People’s Struggle Alliance has called for an urgent and wide-ranging investigation into what is believed to be a mass grave uncovered during ongoing excavation work within the Colombo Port premises, where officials have already identified skeletal remains belonging to at least 88 individuals.
The members of the Alliance visited the Ministry of Justice last Monday seeking official information regarding the discovery, which has reignited longstanding concerns over the country’s history of enforced disappearances and political violence.
Addressing reporters, Attorney-at-Law cum FSP’s candidate at the last presidential election, Nuwan Bopage, said that evidence emerging from the site strongly suggests the presence of mass graves and underscored the need for full transparency in the excavation process.
Bopage accused successive governments of exploiting such discoveries for political gain during election periods, only for the momentum to dissipate once polls conclude.
“There is a recurring pattern where attention spikes during elections, but no concrete action follows,” he said.
Bopage added that Sri Lanka’s long and turbulent history, including the 1971 and 1988–89 insurrections, had seen widespread abductions, extrajudicial killings and forced disappearances. Referring to the latest discovery, Bopage questioned the identity of the victims, the circumstances of their deaths, and who should be held accountable. “Justice cannot be buried along with the victims,” he stressed.
Alliance members also voiced suspicion that the remains may correspond to individuals who disappeared during previous uprisings, including members of the JVP.
The suspected mass grave at the Colombo Port was first unearthed in July 2024, when a private construction company digging six feet below ground for the Port City Expressway project encountered human remains near the Old Secretariat building in Colombo Fort.
Excavations officially commenced on 05 September, 2024. under the direction of the Chief Magistrate of Colombo, with oversight from Additional Magistrate Kasun Kanchana Dissanayake. Senior archaeologist Prof. Raj Somadeva has been supervising the scientific aspects of the dig.
Judicial Medical Officers, archaeologists, and representatives from the Office on Missing Persons (OMP) have been involved in the process, after the Magistrate empowered the OMP to assist in investigating the potential mass graves.
Police confirmed that a second phase of excavations took place on 26–28 September, after which the recovered skeletons were transferred to the Colombo (North) Crimes Unit laboratory for analysis and kept under police protection. Officials have confirmed that several more skeletons continue to emerge, prompting the need for further excavation.
When work resumed in January, 2025, forensic archaeologists warned that many more skeletons were likely present at the site. However, within days, the dig was halted once again due to a lack of government funding. Human remains were left submerged in muddy water, and journalists documented the absence of even basic protective covering over the exposed bone material.
Forensic experts have repeatedly warned that Sri Lanka’s mass grave sites require uninterrupted excavation and scientific preservation to protect crucial evidence.
Justice Minister Harshana Nanayakkara recently said that Sri Lanka has now recorded 17 mass grave sites across the country, many of which remain only partially investigated.
A discussion between President Anura Kumara Dissanayake and senior officials of the Urban Development Authority (UDA) was held this afternoon (18) at the Presidential Secretariat.
The meeting focused extensively on new development projects planned by the Urban Development Authority. The President emphasised the need to ensure that the budgetary allocations made for these projects in the current year are utilised effectively within the same financial year.
Detailed discussions were also held on projects planned to be implemented jointly by multiple institutions, including the importance of holding consultations with all relevant agencies to reach final decisions and the need to clearly define responsibilities for each institution in both implementation and maintenance phases of the projects.
Attention was drawn to key initiatives such as the Kelani River flood control project, water management projects in Colombo city and the Beira Lake restoration project. The need for a dedicated programme for low-income housing in areas such as Ratmalana and Moratuwa was also highlighted. During the discussion, Minister of Transport, Highways and Urban Development Bimal Rathnayake underscored the importance of introducing a structured management framework for the effective coordination of certain projects.
Deputy Minister of Urban Development, Eranga Gunasekara, Secretary to the Ministry of Transport, Highways and Urban Development, Senior Professor Kapila C.K. Perera, Chairman of the Urban Development Authority (UDA), M.G. Hemachandra and the Heads representing the Urban Settlement Development Authority (USDA), Sri Lanka Land Development Corporation (SLLDC), National Physical Planning Department (NPPD) and the Condominium Management Authority (CMA) were also present at the meeting.
(PMD)
News
CEAT Kelani Branch Inter-Company Employees’ Union makes donation to the ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ Fund
The Inter-Company Employees’ Union of the Kelaniya Branch of CEAT Sri Lanka has made a financial donation of Rs. 1,148,000.00, a day’s salary of its members to the ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ Fund established to support the restoration of livelihoods and the rebuilding of areas affected by cyclone Ditwah.
Secretary of the Inter-Company Employees’ Union of the CEAT Kelani Branch, D.G.S.D. Navaratne, handed over the donation to the Chief of Staff to the President, Prabhath Chandrakeerthi at the Presidential Secretariat this morning (18).
Treasurer of the Inter-Company Employees’ Union of the CEAT Kelani Branch, Y.P.I.C. Karunathilaka, together with members of the Executive Committee, were also present on the occasion.
(PMD)
Latest News
Prime Minister off to the United Kingdom to participate in the 22nd Annual Commonwealth Education Forum
Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya departed on an official visit to the United Kingdom to participate in the 22nd Annual Commonwealth Education Forum and the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) 2026 Board of Governors Meeting.
During the visit, the Prime Minister is scheduled to participate in several high-level academic and diplomatic engagements aimed at strengthening cooperation in the fields of education, development studies, research collaboration, and international partnerships.
As part of the visit, the Prime Minister will meet with Ms.Bridget Phillipson, Secretary of State for Education of the United Kingdom, at the UK Department for Education, to discuss areas of cooperation in education and related sectors. She is also expected to meet Ms.Yvette Cooper, Foreign Secretary of the United Kingdom, for discussions on matters of bilateral interest and cooperation between Sri Lanka and the United Kingdom.
In addition, the Prime Minister is expected to meet Ms.Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, on the sidelines of the 22nd Annual Commonwealth Education Forum and the Commonwealth of Learning (COL) 2026 Board of Governors Meeting.
During the visit, the Prime Minister will attend a public event at the Institute of Development Studies at the University of Sussex and she will also take part in the ceremony marking the 60th Anniversary of the Institute of Development Studies. The Prime Minister is also scheduled to address a session at the Oxford School of Global and Area Studies at the University of Oxford, followed by a question-and-answer session with scholars and students.
The visit is expected to strengthen Sri Lanka’s engagement with academic institutions, international development partners, and Commonwealth member states, particularly in the areas of education, research, policy dialogue, and capacity building.
[Prime Minister’s Media Division]
President meets senior officials of the Urban Development Authority
CEAT Kelani Branch Inter-Company Employees’ Union makes donation to the ‘Rebuilding Sri Lanka’ Fund
Escaped tiger shot by German police after attacking man
Prime Minister off to the United Kingdom to participate in the 22nd Annual Commonwealth Education Forum
Steps initiated to safeguard Sri Lanka’s Maritime Heritage
Fighter jet crews parachute safely after collision at US air show
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