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Photographs Tamilwin
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Investigations began on Friday into a covered up well in Mannar, unearthed adjacent to where a mass grave containing over 80 bodies was found last year, which is believed to hold human remains.
The well, found near Thiruketheesvaram in Mannar district, was inspected by the Mannar judge, A G Alexrajah on Friday, together with a lawyer representing missing persons, Niranjan and Ranitha and a representative of the Mannar Lawyers Forum, M Sapoortheen, land surveyors from the Mannar district council and police officers.
On Wednesday, Justice Alexrajah had marked the site and ordered that the woods surrounding the site should be cleared and cordoned off ahead of the inspection on Friday.
Visiting the site on Friday, Justice Alexrajah requested the land surveyors to produce maps of the site and ordered that the site should be guarded 24 hours a day with police protection, ensuring there is no unauthorised access into the cordoned off area.
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The investigation into the well will continue on October 7 at Mannar court.
Excavations at an adjacent site last year, found over 80 human remains. The mass grave was first discovered when construction workers found two human skeletons on December 20th when digging in Thirukketheeswaram.
The following week, a further four skulls were unearthed, with more over subsequent weeks (see also here, here, here, here and here).
The Bishop of Mannar, who called for an international investigation into the mass grave due to the lack of credibility associated with any internal process, said that the holes in many of the skulls were believed to be from gunshot wounds.
