People pay tribute to the murdered aboriginal children in Ottawa, Canada, on June 4.Photo: Xinhua

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday urged Canada to investigate the sites of 139 residential schools indigenous children were forced to attend, after discovering 182 more unmarked graves, the third batch since May. 

"The news was shocking and heartbreaking," ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at the routine press conference, noting the new discovery further demonstrated there are graveyards of intentionally unmarked indigenous children's tombs in those residential schools.

The survivors' repeated appeals to investigate were ignored.

At St. Eugene's Mission School near Cranbrook, British Columbia, ground penetrating radar located remains of Indigenous children between the ages of seven and 15 in the 182 graves. 

Late May, 215 indigenous children's remains were found at a residential school in BC while as many as 751 unmarked graves were discovered at a school in Saskatchewan in late June. 

Past crimes must not be forgotten while indigenous groups in Canada continue to face injustice and discrimination, Wang said, citing a news report from the Globe and Mail last week where an indigenous doctor revealed how the country's racist medical system neglected the indigenous, posing health problems and causing unnecessary deaths. 

Ottawa has been perfunctory in digging the truth of oppression on its indigenous population, but points a finger at others. "We urge Canada to look in the mirror, reflect on and compensate for its abuse of indigenous groups, and rectify the injustice and oppression," Wang said. 

Global Times