Many parties have called for the Batalanda Commission report to be presented in Parliament and its recommendations implemented. The government was set to discuss the so-called Batalanda Commission during yesterday’s Cabinet meeting.
The Batalanda issue resurfaced in national discussions following an interview with former President Ranil Wickremesinghe on Al Jazeera.
In 1994, Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga was elected President, ending 17 years of United National Party (UNP) rule. She came to power promising justice for the disappearances and killings that took place during the 1988–1990 period. To fulfill this promise, she established a Presidential Commission of Inquiry on September 21, 1995. This became known as the Batalanda Commission.
Mandate of the Commission
The Batalanda Commission was tasked with investigating illegal detention, torture, killings, and disappearances of young people in houses within the Batalanda housing scheme in Biyagama during the 1988–1989 JVP insurrection. The housing scheme, originally owned by the State Fertilizer Manufacturing Corporation, had been converted into an army camp.
The commission aimed to identify those responsible and provide recommendations. It was chaired by then-Court of Appeal Judge D. Jayawickrama, with High Court Judge N.E. Dissanayake as a member. A police team assisted in the investigation, while the Attorney General’s Department handled the evidence. Among the legal representatives were current Supreme Court Judge Yasantha Kondagoda, then a State Counsel, and current President’s Counsel Sanath Jayamanne.
The commission extended its timeline 12 times before submitting its final report to President Kumaratunga on March 29, 1998.
### **Findings of the Batalanda Commission**
At the time of the events under investigation, Ranil Wickremesinghe served as Minister of Industries, and the Batalanda housing complex fell under his ministry. The commission’s findings revealed that several houses in the complex—including A2/2, A2/1, A2/3, A1/8, B2, B1, and B7—had been used by Wickremesinghe. It also found that a police team led by Douglas Peiris, the then OIC of Peliyagoda, had been provided with houses there.
Additionally, 13 houses were allocated to officers from the Kelaniya Anti-Riot Unit. One of the houses was reportedly used as an office by Wickremesinghe. The commission determined that his instructions and orders regarding the allocation of these houses had been implemented.
Wickremesinghe was summoned before the commission and questioned about his involvement.
Recommendations and Aftermath
After nearly three years of investigation, the Batalanda Commission made several key recommendations. The most significant was a proposal to grant the Supreme Court additional powers to strip public representatives and police officers involved in the torture chamber incidents of their civil rights due to their serious human rights violations.
The report also highlighted that individuals in executive positions had repeatedly broken the law without facing consequences.
Mangala Samaraweera’s Comment
Despite being submitted to President Kumaratunga, none of the commission’s recommendations were implemented. The media at the time pressed the government for answers, leading to a statement by Mangala Samaraweera, a senior government figure:
“She still refuses to present that report today. She says that she does not want to face accusations that she is doing to her main political opponent, the opposition leader, what the UNP did to Mrs. Sirimavo Bandaranaike. She believes she should not present the report until after her election.”
Samaraweera further stated:
“After this election, especially in the future, we hope to present this complete report to the People’s Court for the information of the public.”
The decisions of the Batalanda Commission are detailed in Chapter IX of the report. However, decades later, its recommendations remain unimplemented.
https://lankasara.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/batalanda_commission_report_chapter_9_11zon.pdf
