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Experts to probe alleged mass grave in Lanka

Federal forensic experts flew into the Tamil heartland of Jaffna today with a planeload of journalists to start investigating claims that some 300 civilians were killed by the military and buried in a mass grave during Sri Lanka's ethnic war.

The federal team is likely to make a preliminary survey and may take soil samples for analysis at the alleged grave on the outskirts of Jaffna, about 300 km north of Colombo. No date has been set for excavating the site.

S A E Ekanathan, the Jaffna magistrate overseeing the case, met the federal team at the airport, despite threats from the top Tamil rebel group, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. The LTTE had ordered the closure of courts in Jaffna, saying it wanted international human rights groups, not local courts, to investigate the matter. Jaffna courts were closed on Monday due the threat, with notices saying they would not reopen for three months.

The federal government, under pressure to improve its human rights records, has pressed ahead with its investigation. Yasantha Kodagoda, state counsel in the case, had said investigators would offer Ekanathan bodyguards and try to persuade him to hold any necessary hearings despite the court closure.

Sri Lankan soldiers in full battle gear welcomed the federal team and stood guard at check-points in the area.

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