Former MP Wimal Weerawansa, leader of the National Freedom Front, has expressed his views on the controversial Batalanda Commission Report.
The long post he shared on his social media account is as follows:
The Batalanda Commission, which resurfaced after an Al Jazeera journalist raised questions about it, has now been presented in Parliament. When it was tabled, the Speaker broke down in tears.
Former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga was among those who expressed the strongest reactions to the Batalanda torture chamber and the brutality suffered by Sri Lankans there.
However, despite her more than ten years in power, no one was punished. Instead, Chandrika was able to gain political advantage by fueling the media controversy and public outrage over Batalanda.
Our view on the current revival of the Batalanda Commission Report is that it is once again being used for political gain.
Nearly forty years have passed, and many witnesses and responsible individuals are either deceased or at the twilight of their lives.
Even so, the Commission Report has made certain recommendations, but it is not a legally binding document.
For its findings to be enforced, they require legislative, executive, and judicial actions—which could take even longer.
We have all witnessed how the leadership of the current National People’s Power (NPP) government has maintained a close political alliance with United National Party (UNP) leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, who has been accused of involvement in the Batalanda incidents.
A former Attorney General has publicly stated that when Ranil Wickremesinghe was Prime Minister during the Yahapalana government (2015-2019), he met the current President, Anura Dissanayake, at his official residence more frequently than he met Ranil himself.
Who can realistically believe that these two groups, which have maintained such close political ties, are now suddenly at odds over the Batalanda Commission?
If someone operated a torture chamber called Batalanda during one of the darkest periods of internal rebellion in Sri Lanka’s history, where political prisoners were brutally tortured and murdered, can we truly expect justice from this government?
Our belief is “Absolutely Not.”
It is unjust to the victims and to history to revive the Batalanda Commission merely for media appearances, decades after the real criminals should have been held accountable for their crimes against humanity.
On behalf of the National Freedom Front, we express our deepest condolences to the Sri Lankans who lost their lives.
