By Calls to Present the Batalanda Commission Report
In Sri Lanka, multiple parties are currently urging the government to present the Batalanda Commission Report to Parliament and to implement its recommendations. This report, which investigates human rights violations during the 1988-89 JVP insurrection, has resurfaced in public discourse following Ranil Wickremesinghe’s Al Jazeera interview on the program Head to Head last Thursday (6), where he discussed related issues.
What is the Batalanda Commission Report?
In 1994, Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga was elected President of Sri Lanka, ending 17 years of United National Party (UNP) rule. One of her key election promises was to seek justice for human rights violations, extrajudicial killings, and enforced disappearances that occurred during the JVP suppression.
Upon assuming office, President Kumaratunga established the Presidential Commission of Inquiry on September 21, 1995, to investigate these incidents.
Investigation of the Batalanda Torture Camp
This commission, known as the Batalanda Commission, was tasked with examining illegal detention, torture, assassination, and disappearances of individuals at the Batalanda detention center, which was under the purview of the State Fertilizer Manufacturing Corporation. The site is infamously referred to as the Batalanda torture camp due to the atrocities committed there.
The commission was chaired by Court of Appeal Judge D. Jayawickrama, with High Court Judge N.E. Dissanayake serving as a member. A team of police officers assisted with the investigation, and the Attorney General’s Department provided legal support, leading the evidence in the presence of the commission.
Notable figures such as Supreme Court Judge Yasantha Kodagoda and President’s Counsel Sarath Jayamanne were part of this legal team.
The tenure of this Presidential Commission of Inquiry was extended 12 times before the report was submitted to President Kumaratunga on March 26, 1998.
Ranil Wickremesinghe’s Alleged Connection to Batalanda
During the period under investigation, Ranil Wickremesinghe was the Minister of Industries, under whose purview the Batalanda Housing Scheme fell. The commission found that this housing scheme was allegedly used for illegal detentions and torture.
The report revealed that houses within the scheme, specifically units A 2/2, A 2/1, A 2/3, A 1/7, B2, B1, and B7, were utilized by Wickremesinghe. Furthermore, a team of police officers led by then Peliyagoda Police Station Chief Douglas Peiris was also given housing units.
Additionally, 13 houses were allocated to officers of the Kelaniya Anti-Subversive Unit, with one of these houses reportedly serving as Wickremesinghe’s office. The Batalanda Commission Report indicated that these allocations were carried out under Wickremesinghe’s directives.
The commission summoned Ranil Wickremesinghe to provide explanations regarding these allegations. After three years of investigations, the commission recommended granting the Supreme Court the authority to revoke the civic rights of public representatives and police officers found guilty of serious human rights violations.
The report stated that executive figures repeatedly violated the law without accountability.
Why Was the Batalanda Report Never Released?
Despite being submitted to President Chandrika Kumaratunga, the recommendations of the Batalanda Commission Report were never implemented.
When questioned at the time, Mangala Samaraweera, a key government figure, stated:
“The President has refused to present the report, stating that she does not want to subject her main political opponent, or the Leader of the Opposition, to the same treatment that the UNP subjected Sirimavo Bandaranaike to. She has decided not to present it until her term ends. However, we hope to present the full report to the public after the elections.”
Although the Batalanda Commission Report has remained a topic during election campaigns, it has yet to be officially tabled for the sake of justice and accountability.
Renewed Demands for Justice and Accountability
Kumar Gunaratnam, General Secretary of the Frontline Socialist Party (FSP), has renewed calls for the Batalanda Commission Report to be tabled in Parliament.
Gunaratnam emphasized that the report has never been officially recognized, allowing Ranil Wickremesinghe to dismiss its findings.
He stressed the need for legal and political frameworks to prevent future state violence and extrajudicial killings.
Gunaratnam also pointed out that the report exposes how Douglas Peiris was promoted to Assistant Superintendent of Police, bypassing 150 other candidates, allegedly facilitated by Wickremesinghe. The report further implicates Wickremesinghe in the assassination of Vijayadasa Liyanarachchi, a JVP political activist.
Key Points on the Batalanda Controversy
The Batalanda Report Resurfaces After Ranil Wickremesinghe’s Al Jazeera Interview – His statements on human rights issues reignited public interest and demands for the report’s release.
