{"id":202622,"date":"2019-06-14T14:26:51","date_gmt":"2019-06-14T08:56:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/?p=202622"},"modified":"2019-06-17T00:03:09","modified_gmt":"2019-06-16T18:33:09","slug":"carbon-dating-human-heads-a-dubious-parcel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/carbon-dating-human-heads-a-dubious-parcel\/","title":{"rendered":"Carbon Dating: Human Heads & A Dubious Parcel\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Kingsley Kurukulasuriya<\/a> –<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Kingsley Kurukulasuriya<\/p><\/div>\n

Carbon Dating is a method for determining the age of an object containing organic\u00a0material by using the properties of radiocarbon, a radioactive isotope of carbon.\u00a0Excavations at the mass grave in Mannar<\/strong><\/a> began when the site was first discovered\u00a0during the initial phases of the construction of a SATHOSA building in the area.\u00a0Samples obtained from the mass grave at Mannar were sent to Beta Analytic, USA for a\u00a0Carbon 14 test.<\/p>\n

The carbon dating report prepared by Florida-based Beta Analytic \u2013 Radiocarbon\u00a0dating services has revealed the samples obtained from the Mannar Mass Grave\u00a0belonged to people who had died 350 to 600 years ago.<\/p>\n

According to the Sri Lankan newspapers, there was only one angle regarding the human\u00a0skeletons found at Mannar. A Tamil politician, claimed the heads found buried there to be\u00a0those of Tamils murdered by the Sri Lankan Army.<\/p>\n

In the latest news, P.B.S. Hemachandra, Lieutenant Commander (retired) SLN, refers to\u00a0many books, according to which the people massacred in Mannar quite a while ago, were Sinhalese.<\/p>\n

According to another report, a Tamil leader has categorically stated that this place in Mannar\u00a0was where a large number of Tamils were put to death by the Sri Lankan army. It was\u00a0written with vengeance against the Army.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

President Rajapaksa inaugurated the exposition of so-called ashes of former King Dutugemunu who reigned in the first century BC at the event organized by the National Heritage Ministry – May 18, 2011 | File photo<\/p><\/div>\n

The bodies in the latter case were identified by Carbon Dating as those of people who were\u00a0killed during the Dutch period. Another writer stresses that these bodies were of Sinhalese\u00a0people massacred by the British.<\/p>\n

The main question now is whether the government is accepting the decision of the Carbon\u00a0Dating done in this case.<\/p>\n

Scientifically speaking, all people — the government and others in a country \u2013 should accept\u00a0the verdict given by the scientific institute after carbon dating.<\/p>\n

When Hans Christian Anderson wrote \u201cThe Emperor\u2019s New Clothes\u201d he must have been\u00a0thinking of Sri Lankans who exhibited their gullibility when a parcel of charcoal was taken in\u00a0procession round the country twice, the government proclaiming its contents to be those of\u00a0King Dutugemunu\u2019s ashes. This is what a government did several years ago to fool the\u00a0people.<\/p>\n

But one MAN stood tall against this proclamation from the beginning. He is Dr. Raja de Silva\u00a0who, incidentally, saved not only all paintings at Hindgala but all but two of the famous\u00a0paintings at Sigiriya after their dreadful vandalism. He said what was sent round the country\u00a0to be worshipped was nothing but a parcel of charcoal. The others who were called to\u00a0decide on the matter, excepting Dr. Abhaya Aryasinhe, stated that the parcel contained the\u00a0ashes of King Dutugemunu.<\/p>\n

Although the parcel was sent to a laboratory in France, the results were not made public,\u00a0maybe by a \u201cmild Despot\u201d. Clearly, this amounts to a government hiding information from\u00a0the public. It is high time the results of that laboratory test were made public in Sri Lanka.<\/p>\n

Will the government, at least now, disclose the results of the tests done on the parcel of\u00a0charcoal or the parcel which others assumed to comprise the ashes of King Dutugemunu?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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