Batalanda Commission Report tabled in Parliament after decades

Leader of the House Bimal Rathnayake 

• Leader of the House Bimal Rathnayake notes significance of report, criticises past Governments for failing to act on its findings
• Claims successive Governments not only failed to implement recommendations, but merely used it as political tool during elections
• Criticises former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumarathunga for not referring report to AG
• Affirms Govt. under President Anura Kumara Dissanayake decides to seek legal advice from AG regarding report’s findings; President will appoint special committee to study Batalanda Commission Report
• Decides to hold two-day debate in Parliament on report at suitable time

The long-awaited Batalanda Commission Report was tabled in Parliament yesterday by Leader of the House Bimal Rathnayake, marking the first time the document has been officially presented in the legislature since its completion decades ago.

The report, which investigated allegations of unlawful detention, torture and extrajudicial killings at the Batalanda Housing Scheme between 1988 and 1990 during the JVP insurgency, resurfaced following a recent Al Jazeera interview with former President Ranil Wickremesinghe, where he was questioned about torture allegations linked to the site.

Addressing Parliament, Rathnayake noted the significance of the report and criticised past Governments for failing to act on its findings. “As the main accused revealed during the Al Jazeera interview, it was never tabled in Parliament,” he stated.

The Batalanda Commission was established by former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga in 1995 through a Presidential warrant. Chaired by Justice D. Jayawickrama with N.E. Dissanayake as a member, the inquiry focused on human rights violations in what was believed to be an unofficial Government detention centre. The Commission’s tenure was extended multiple times before its findings were finalised.

According to Rathnayake, a complete report and related materials were submitted to the National Archives on 20 May 1998. Despite the significance of its findings, he revealed that none of the 750 printed copies—including Sinhala and Tamil versions—were ever forwarded to the Attorney General.

“The astounding fact is that not one of the 750 printed copies was forwarded to the Attorney General. Therefore, those who called for this report not only failed to implement the recommendations but merely used it as a political tool during elections,” Rathnayake claimed.

He further criticised former President Kumarathunga for not referring the report to the Attorney General. 

“It is evident that the report should have been handed over to then-President Kumaratunga before May 1998. However, the reason she did not forward a copy to the Attorney General was unclear at the time—but today, those reasons are clear as day,” he added.

Rathnayake affirmed that the Government, under President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has decided to seek legal advice from the Attorney General regarding the report’s findings.

He said a policy decision has been taken by the Cabinet of Ministers and President Dissanayake to take action regarding the Batalanda Commission Report.

The Leader of the House also informed Parliament that the President will appoint a special committee to study the Batalanda Commission Report.

He also noted that the Government has also decided to hold a two-day debate in Parliament on the report, at a suitable time.