Former President Ranil Wickremesinghe today issued a special statement regarding the Batalanda Commission Report, which was recently tabled in Parliament. In his statement, he provided a detailed account of the events surrounding the report and strongly denied any wrongdoing.
Wickremesinghe recalled the turbulent period following the signing of the Indo-Lanka Accord in 1987, during which the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) launched an insurrection, creating nationwide unrest. At the time, President J.R. Jayewardene assigned the responsibility of securing key national infrastructure to his Cabinet Ministers.
He emphasized that strategic locations such as the oil refinery in Sapugaskanda, the diesel power plant, and economic hubs were placed under military protection. To accommodate security personnel, abandoned buildings and residences belonging to the Lanka Fertilizer Corporation were allocated for their use.
During this period of unrest, the Sapugaskanda Police Station was attacked, and its officer-in-charge was assassinated. In response, then Deputy Minister of Defense Ranjan Wijeratne requested Wickremesinghe to provide security forces with shelter in the vacant housing complex. Accordingly, arrangements were made through the relevant authorities.
Allegations and the Batalanda Commission
Wickremesinghe explained that a series of assassinations, including those of a Provincial Council member, a Cooperative Society chairman, and a police sergeant, took place during this time. Additionally, the residence of another Provincial Council member was attacked. The government at the time was focused on restoring stability and ensuring national security.
Following these events, in 1994, President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga appointed the Batalanda Commission to investigate alleged torture chambers in the Batalanda area. Wickremesinghe stated that he was summoned only as a witness, as he was serving as the Leader of the Opposition at the time.
He asserted that the commission was politically motivated, aimed at tarnishing his reputation. However, the commission failed in its attempt, as no direct allegations were proven against him. The only criticism in the report regarding him was that, as a minister, he had facilitated housing for police officers through the Kelaniya Police Division instead of following the proper procedure of handing them over to the Inspector General of Police (IGP) for allocation.
The report did not find him guilty of any other allegations.
Rejection of the Report and Political Implications
Wickremesinghe categorically rejected the Batalanda Commission Report, stating that it was used for political mudslinging. He also pointed out that no government in the past 25 years had taken steps to debate or act on the report, including the JVP, which did not demand a parliamentary discussion on it.
He emphasized that no political party in power had sought to use the report for political advantage, further proving that it lacked credibility. He questioned the unprecedented decision to debate a 25-year-old report in Parliament, a practice not followed by previous governments.