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Bodies to be exhumed for further investigations ACF workers killed in Mutur
The bodies of 17 Aid workers from the French Organization Action Contre la Faim (Action Against Hunger), who were found shot at close range last week in Mutur, will be exhumed for further investigation, The Sunday Times learns.
This was disclosed at a meeting held on Friday, between officials of the Defence Ministry, the Australian High Commission and other parties concerned. Dr.M.Waidyaratne, Judicial Medical Officer of Anuradhapura Hospital, who had conducted the post-mortem said that the bodies had already started decomposing when they were brought to the hospital. “There were injuries on the head and other areas. I cannot say what kind of weapon had been used to kill them as the matter is still under investigation” The Sunday Times learns that although the initial autopsy was conducted the lack of equipment and pressure from family members to return the bodies for burial rites had hampered a thorough examination. Australian forensic experts will be overseeing the examination which will be carried out by Sri Lankan doctors, once the bodies are exhumed. ACF has been working in Sri Lanka since 1996. In Mutur they were carrying out projects regarding hygiene and access to clean drinking water. They were also involved in helping tsunami survivors in agriculture and other projects. After the fighting erupted in Mutur these 17 aid workers were assisting those who had been displaced in the fighting. It had not been possible to evacuate them because of the heavy fighting and their last call to their colleagues in Colombo had been on August 4. By August 7 the office here had got confirmation that 17 of their members had been found dead in the premises of their Mutur office. Meanwhile, Head of the ACF, Bernoit Miribel who arrived from France visited Trincomalee yesterday to look into the incidents as well as reassess their work there. |
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