The Hon. Nihal Galappaththi

¶ 01 Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees, to Hon. Rohini Wijerathna I say, “Do not try to break green branches before those who know the tree,” and “Madam, do not describe lands you have not seen.” I begin thus.

¶ 02 We all know the destruction that the fire at Batalanda brought — leaving only ashes and dust. This report reveals the roots of that vast destruction. It exposes the behavior of a most base, vile, inhuman, deranged ruler — devoid of human virtues — a person who for 46 years in politics has shown this vileness in past, present, and future. He is not “Mr. Clean” or “Mr. Bean.” He is a ruler with a perverted mind, cloaked in state power, subservient to imperialism and capital, who clings to life by any condition. That is my feeling about Ranil Wickremesinghe. I believe those who follow him will share his nature. Therefore, I urge you to read this Commission Report. Even though many truths are omitted, it allows us to understand what kind of person Ranil is.

¶ 03 The infamous Batalanda torture camp was revealed to the whole world. Batalanda is not a Buddhist monastery; in the literal sense it was a vile torture center. Its operations are set out on page 92, paragraphs 1 and 2:

¶ 04 “However, the meetings held at the Batalanda Housing Scheme took an entirely different character. They were held under unlawful conditions. The purpose of these meetings, chaired by Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe, is not entirely clear. Though participants tried to clarify whether there was a valid reason, this Commission is not satisfied with the explanations. The general stance was that these meetings were held to assess the security situation and to plan strategies to face it. However, at these meetings, as all witnesses accepted, they discussed only the subversive acts committed by those suspected of being JVP members. They did not discuss crimes committed by common criminals posing as insurgents.

¶ 05 “They did not discuss the actions of armed groups (‘vigilante groups’) who, armed with non-issue weapons, engaged in heinous crimes such as murder and abduction, travelling in unregistered vehicles. They did not discuss the frequent appearance of dead bodies and tire pyres in public places during this period, as many witnesses accepted. Why were only the actions of JVP members discussed? If these meetings were held on a lawful basis under a government decision, should they not have discussed the above and come to proper decisions?

¶ 06 “Another matter considered by this Commission is why Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe chaired these meetings. He was neither Minister nor Deputy Minister of Defence. He had no supervisory role over police operations in relation to official duties.”

¶ 07 Is it not clear who the torturer and who bears responsibility are?

¶ 08 I also state: Vijaya D. Liyanarachchi was a human rights lawyer. Pages 92 to 98 — seven pages — are devoted to his brutal murder. How he was arrested on 25 August 1988; how President’s Counsel Ranjith Abeysuriya queried from authorities; how Ravi Jayewardene acknowledged it; how DIG Premadasa Udugampola covered it up; how later SP Karawita Dharmadasa of Tangalle accepted it; how he was taken to the Kelaniya Batalanda torture camp; how Ranil handed him to DIG Douglas Peiris of the CID; how he was tortured and killed — all are set out there.

¶ 09 What was this human rights lawyer’s “crime”? He sought justice for those brutally tortured and murdered during the terror. These brutal killings will never be buried by history. I state that here.

¶ 10 If we analyze and speak thus, we must ask: why, after 76 years, did the people of this country give us 159 seats — a massive transformation — to form a human-centered government? Even if you do not understand our behavior through history, the people have grasped it clearly.

¶ 11 I heard Hon. S.M. Marikkar say that from 1994 to now, the JVP never sought an investigation into the brutal killing of Rohana Wijeweera. That is not true. After I first entered Parliament in 1994, I proposed to then Defence Minister Anuruddha Ratwatte to hold an impartial investigation and deliver justice. He told me to file a complaint and case. That is how they treated us then.

¶ 12 Hon. Deputy Chairperson of Committees: Hon. Member, you have two more minutes.

¶ 13 Very well, I will conclude.

¶ 14 We faced extreme cruelty in that period. Those gentlemen here today try to forget it. We suffered severe torture. I was arrested on 21 March 1989. I was held at Dematagoda, Borella, Welisara Naval Camp, Boossa Detention Camp, Magazine Prison, and Welikada Prison — for three and a half years — under the UNP government’s “special care.” They “looked after us well,” as it were. Remember, we faced everything. We endured the oppression, roars, threats; socially isolated, cornered, unlawfully detained, jailed. To every detained comrade, elder, and child, we gave our lives.

¶ 15 We started a vast program to reintegrate those detained at Boossa. We did everything we could to rebuild people. No matter the pain inflicted, those people now forget it. We bore and endured it all, and worked to give life back to every detainee who had been isolated and cast out by society. I recall in 1992 how that government “cared” for us: they destroyed the entire camp, burned 17 halls; tortured those people. They tried 19 times to kill me; but it was averted. In 1992 they broke arms and legs to oppress us. But we did not bend or break. With the strength and courage we gained, guided by our leaders’ lessons, we came out and, in 1994, entered Parliament.

¶ 16 Hon. Deputy Chair: Time is over.

¶ 17 Killings, beatings, slander, cutting and chopping cannot stop our journey. “Even if we are killed, our voice will never die,” said our leader Rohana Wijeweera who gave us strength and courage. We will, through courts, prosecute those criminals who caused the destruction and deliver the highest justice and fairness to those lost lives. I conclude.

¶ 18 Thank you.