The Hon. Wasantha Samarasinghe - Minister of Trade, Commerce, Food Security and Cooperative Development

¶ 01 Hon. Presiding Member, today we debate a chapter of history and its conscience: the Report of the Commission of Inquiry into the establishment and operation of illegal detention centres and torture chambers at the Batalanda Housing Scheme.

¶ 02 The National People’s Power (NPP) Government is formed by progressive people—led by the JVP—professionals, farmers, and women. This dialogue the society observes keenly, but many who should be here are absent.

¶ 03 Batalanda Housing Scheme was a housing project on 20 acres at Biyagama/Kelaniya side, intended for Fertilizer Corporation employees, which was turned into a torture camp. Who was the chief torturer? Then Biyagama organizer and Gampaha District MP, Ranil Wickremesinghe. With him becoming the torturer-in-chief, Batalanda became a torture camp. The Report itself says over a hundred such centres need inquiry, and prays such atrocities never recur.

¶ 04 Some Members used this debate to air personal issues, whereas many who were killed at these camps by that torturer’s group cannot speak today. They fought for a great social transformation. One Member spoke about 1985–89, but this Report covers 1988–89; and we must look back to 1981–83 as well, including the removal of JVP Development Council members for missing three meetings after repression.

¶ 05 As we seek accountability for Batalanda and other camps, many local incidents can be recounted. From my own schooling, fellow students were killed along with their families. But today we must ask: by what law were people murdered and tortured? The Report says police cannot take the law into their own hands; yet it details how they did.

¶ 06 The Report also explains how Ranil Wickremesinghe stands identified as the Batalanda torturer. It notes on page 22: after Gamini Dissanayake’s assassination in December 1994, Ranil became Opposition Leader; during 1988–1990 he served as Minister of Youth Affairs and Employment (from 1989) and later Minister of Industries and Scientific Affairs. His “industry” became running the torture camp—rounding up youths with rogue police units and ordering killings. The law must act against Ranil Wickremesinghe and the murderers who turned a 20-acre housing project into a torture camp for professionals and workers of the Fertilizer Corporation.

¶ 07 Some ask why now and not in 2004, etc. We always raised this. We do not seek justice from the murderers; we knew a moment would come to correct history. The people elected a President and gave us a two-thirds to govern; we will take this forward through proper inquiries.

¶ 08 As with the North, in the South too there are foundational incidents—from the burning of the Jaffna Library to the death fast of Thileepan—that society must revisit. The Commission officials concluded they do not expect such barbarity to recur. Our Government bears the responsibility to correct history and restore the value of the lives sacrificed. We will act accordingly. Thank you.