The Hon. K.V. Samantha Viddyarathna

¶ 01 Life was protected in a certain way. We had no ability to stay at home; no ability to remain in the village. We too were among those on the death lists. Today, we are living an extra span of life, Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees.

¶ 02 Such torture centers were maintained across the country. During the Anuradhapura crackdown, there was Jindasa, at Chilaw Festus Perera, at Kurunegala Gamini Jayawickrama, at Negombo Vijayapala Mendis, at Kelanimitiya Pol Perera, in Galle Amarasiri, and in Ratnapura medical students had nails driven through their ears; and Susanta Punchi Nilame and others. Those in that government were not just ministers; it was a whole squad. The great saga of the executioner in that is what came to be named the Batalanda Commission Report. Therefore, there is no escaping it.

¶ 03 Our comrade Rohana Wijeweera, during the 1971 struggle, submitted a catechism in the Main Trial as a scribe, titled “Even if we are killed, our voice will never die.” In his answers before the judges he said, “We do not seek revenge blood for blood.” But we seek justice. We seek fairness. Those people died — in 1971, and in 1988-89 — not to usher someone into power and then have that power used to massacre that same nation. They died demanding justice, fairness, humanity, and to uplift the poor of this country.

¶ 04 We took power today for that purpose; not to expose these records and pursue vengeance. However, we want fairness; we want justice. We will pursue it. Though these reports were prepared 35 years ago, they have not been made public for 35 years after their completion. I remind all of you of that. They were sent to the Attorney-General. We are debating these today so the people may know.

¶ 05 We are discussing by taking up sections of this report. In particular, I was assigned to speak on the attack on the Sapugaskanda Police Station. Ranil Wickremesinghe went on Channel 4 and said the JVP attacked Sapugaskanda Police. However, this very report prepared by a group from your own side and class clearly records that the “attack on Sapugaskanda Police Station was carried out by Ranil’s henchmen.” They planned and conspired and did it. Our Hon. State Minister Sunil Watagala also said so.

¶ 06 Gonawala Sunil was a killer; a sexual offender. He had been imprisoned for the gang-rape of a 17-year-old daughter of a doctor. J.R. gave him a Presidential Pardon. After that pardon, a journalist asked J.R. — this was reported in 1994 in the Ravaya newspaper — “Why did you pardon Gonawala Sunil?” The former President J.R. replied by asking, “What is the mistake there?” The journalist said, “He is a convicted serial rapist. How can you pardon him?” Then J.R. — Ranil’s uncle — said, “I had the power. I granted the pardon.” When asked whether that power was granted by the Constitution, he said, “What wrong did I do? I had the power, and I exercised it.”

¶ 07 That uncle’s nephew then abused power in the same way. That is not the rule of law; that is state terrorism. Those who formed black cats, yellow tigers, yellow cats, green tigers, “PRA” and such outfits — their hands are stained with blood. I remind you: merely naming something “terrorism” does not make it arise out of nowhere. There are heroes and traitors. Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees, “hero” is the name given to the progressives in this country and the world; to those who demand justice; who stand for fairness. Our party members who gave their lives did not fight for pay. They fought for the motherland; for the oppressed classes; for justice and fairness in this country.

¶ 08 You hired killers. You killed to protect your positions. Criminals in white clothes and suits came here — even Rohana Wijeweera said then that behind those white clothes were criminals. We expect justice in this matter. Sapugaskanda Police was attacked by the thug freed by Ranil and J.R. — Gonawala Sunil. After bringing that criminal out, what did J.R. do? The same kind of thing that Gotabaya did later: Duminda Silva murdered; sentenced to death by three courts; brought out and made Chairman of the Housing Development Authority. Both major camps on that side did these things. J.R. and Ranil set the precedent. Gonawala Sunil was given power over the whole island as a peace judge. After empowering him, he ended up attacking Sapugaskanda Police — on Ranil’s orders. Ranil went on Channel 4 and tried to pin the responsibility on us. Many things from 1988-1989 were charged to our account. Even if they were placed under our account, they belong in your accounts. We had no space to speak then; no room to properly examine those events.

¶ 09 An Opposition MP asked why we, being in Parliament or in governments then, did not act against these. Can you expect justice from executioners? From murderers? However, the National People’s Power government is ready to deliver justice.

¶ 10 Who came to inspect the Sapugaskanda incident? The attack happened around 2 a.m. By about 3 a.m., Douglas Peiris and Assistant Superintendent of Police Raja Dias arrived and examined. What did they do? They ordered the immediate fixing of the broken doors, fallen walls, and damaged desks by masons. They destroyed evidence. Two of the attackers died that same night. One dead was “Kaluwa” — the son of Gonawala Sunil’s elder brother. They planned everything and tried to lay it at our door, but the records are written. These are words written by those of your own class. You cannot erase them. We did not write these. Then who was arrested?

¶ 11 This was a two-storey police station. The first bomb was detonated from the upstairs toilet. A new OIC was appointed on July 11, and within five days he was killed in that attack. They appointed someone they needed there, and Ranil’s people had him killed to shift responsibility to us. But the records are there; the evidence exists. Later, a worker attached to the police station gave a statement: “This was given to me by Police Constable Wijethilaka.” Wijethilaka served at the Sapugaskanda Police. What happened? They arrested the worker, Shanthalal, took his statement, and days later took him to point out where Wijethilaka was. When they went with police at night, Wijethilaka came on a motorbike. Shanthalal identified him: “The one on the pillion seat is Wijethilaka.” Could officers of Sapugaskanda Police not recognize their own constable? Did they need that worker to identify him? The worker pointed him out — then the motorcycle sped away, and the report states that it left at speed. The officers ran but could not catch the constable. Thereafter, when they looked back, Shanthalal was also missing. When going for such operations, wouldn’t you secure suspects? Both were gone. The report finally notes that two key witnesses were missing. Ultimately, though they did not arrest Constable Wijethilaka, later when IGP Merril Gunaratne arrived, Wijethilaka was reinstated in the Police.

¶ 12 You can kill witnesses, but you cannot kill all the evidence. Brother Rohana Wijeweera, our dear comrades — they were killed, but their ideas could not be killed; their ideology could not be killed. Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees, a significant number of our members here are those who faced death. From our President onwards, our politics came through such trials. We do not practice vengeance. If there is a party that has suffered most from doing politics in this country, it is the JVP.

¶ 13 We were killed not because we committed rape; not because we robbed the Central Bank; not because we sought sexual crimes; not because we sought a piece of the country. We were killed because we fought your injustices, and acted against your fraud and corruption. But now you cannot kill. Now the law operates.

¶ 14 You thought that if this political party came to power, it would take revenge. So you built a narrative in past elections that the country would become a lake of blood. No — unlike your terror, we do not wish to use coercive power. We will enforce the law. Though the Batalanda Commission Report lay in a cupboard for 35 years, in dark holes, it will not remain so again.

¶ 15 Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees: Hon. Minister, the time is over.

¶ 16 I will conclude, Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees.

¶ 17 Our beloved comrade Rohana Wijeweera’s work “Even if we are killed, our voice will never die” was presented to the Criminal Justice Commission. On pages 150-151, it says:

¶ 18 “‘Even if we are killed, our voice will never die,’ we said then. Likewise, even if we are imprisoned, our risen voice will not be imprisoned. The trumpet of liberation we sounded will echo across this land. Every nook of this exploitative society will resound with its thunder. In the end, as a new country and a new world is born, a new sun, the red great sun of liberation, will rise. On that day, there will be a correct, just, and lawful judgment on the events of April. That judgment will free and release me and my comrades. Until that day comes, make the righteous into wrongdoers and imprison us. Even if we are killed, our risen voice will never die!”

¶ 19 As Comrade Rohana Wijeweera said, we will inevitably deliver justice. I conclude.

¶ 20 Thank you very much.