Published Mon, 2005-10-17 05:00 Courtesy Asian Tribune

Bodipala Wijeyesinghe told Asian Tribune” that he is not in favor of Ranil Wickremasinghe in the forthcoming Presidential Poll. He termed Batalanda as the Killing Field” and said Ranil has to do lot of explanation to exculpicate himself from the accusing finger pointed towards him in the sordid chapter of the Batalanda saga.

This is the first letter to Editor regarding the Sri Lanka’s Presidential election where 13 candidates are in the fray and the voting is scheduled for 17 November.

The full text of the letter written Bodipala Wijeyesinghe is given below :

Editor,

Asian Tribune

Dear Sir,

Sri Lanka: – A beautiful island in the Indian Ocean.
Twenty miles from the southern most tip of India
Area of Sri Lanka, around twenty five thousand square miles
The current population 16 – 18 million

Sri Lanka was formally known as Ceylon.
It was under British Portuguese and the Dutch rule.
Independence came after (over) one hundred and fifty year of British rule, Independence was in February 1948.

Since independence, the government changed its status from being a Dominium to a Republic. From being a government led by an elected Prime Minister and members of parliament modeled to Westminster type of democracy to President “rule” more or less a French style.

Sri Lanka once a very peaceful country is now very “rough”
During early fifties it was not required closing your house when you sleep. Now you need to barricade your house at all times.
Law and order, protection of it citizens, would appear to be a thing of the past. Sad, is it progress? No it is a fact of life.

Object of the Letter to Editor: –

This letter to the editor is geared to assess the evidence by a (non legal) person to ascertain if there was government led ‘Torture and Killings’ that took place between 1987 and 1992 and, does it involves Ranil Wickremesinghe a presidential candidate for 2005 presidential elections.

Ranil Wickremesinghe was a senior Minister of the 1987 to 1992 administration. Thereafter, from 07 May 1993 to 19 August 1994, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka during the year 2001 general election Ranil Wickremesinghe led (The UNP) the party who won the most number of seats. Following the general election he was re-appointed as the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka.

What is known about Batalanda and what evidence is found to substantiate ‘killings’ and “Torture” that took place in Batalanda?
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There is evidence to support torture and killings in Batalanda. Witnesses have implicated person/s who was involved in the killing and torture activities.

Although there is sufficient evidence, successive Government/s did not take legal or other action against anyone?

Citizens have been imprisoned and/or sent to ‘gallows’ on evidence presented to a jury and /or to judges. In my opinion evidence in this case is sound but nothing has been done? Why?

Following are some of the details ;

Batalanda, is a housing scheme that is owned by the state fertilizer corporation.

Batalanda is located a short distance from the capital Colombo.

The government used Batalanda housing scheme, as a Counter Subversive Unit (CSU) to quell an uprising commonly know as the JVP uprising.

JVP uprising between 1987 and 1992 witness the deaths of,
between 40,000 and 140,000. No known number of deaths has been kept.
Figures quoted are those on publication.
Of course some were killed in combat while the
“CSU” unit set up by the government killed the others. The numbers killed and or tortured by the “CSU” unit is unknown.

The government of President Kumaratunga, the current President appointed a commission to investigate activates of Batalanda. Although the report is out she has not done anything about it?

Commissions report was dated 12 April 1998

The commission has pointed the finger at some high-ranking police officers and Ranil Wickremesinghe The report confirms that torture and killings took place at Batalanda.

Names listed to be the leading police officers involved:

Douglas Peiris Officer in charge.

Other officers mentioned in the reports who were involved: –

Keerthi Atapattu Officer in Charge of a police station

Nalin Delgoda. Superintendent of Police

Meril Goonaratne and Raja Dias.

Both were Deputy Inspector General of Police.

They were all implicated with the killings. Those killed also included the death of a brother “police officer” He was Sub Inspector Rohitha Priyadarshana.

Of course the police officers may say that he/they carried out orders. I think Nuremberg trials took a different view and hanged the killers of the Second World War.

The torture centre in Batalanda housing scheme would appear to have been set up by Mr Ranil Wickremesinghe who is a 2005 presidential candidate. Ranil Wickremesinghe was a senior Minister and later the Prime Minister of the government between 1979 and 1994

The former Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mr Ernest Perera in giving evidence to the commission admitted that he ‘subsequently’ came to know the existence of an illegal detention camp in Batalanda but he did nothing further?

The commission found that the Batalanda Housing scheme was a convenient and a safe place for detention torture and execution. The army guarded the housing scheme. It is situated in a secluded and secured place.

Douglas Peiris and Ranjith Wickremesinghe both were senior police officers. Their task was to maintain Batalanda. They did so with other lower ranking police officers. They were residence of the housing scheme.

Special concessions to Douglas Peiris and Ranjith Wickremasinghe were: –

To be resident at Batalanda housing scheme

These concessions were given to them by Ranil Wickremesinghe – the Presidential candidate. Residency in the housing complex is not common for police officers. Ranil Wickremesinghe said accommodation was given at the request of the defence minister who has since died.

Ranil Wickremesinghe gave evidence to the commission. In his evidence Ranil Wickremesinghe said that the detention centre was set up at the request of deceased defence Minister Mr Ranjan Wijeratna. Later in his evidence he denied the existence of the detention centre at Batalanda. Although the IGP and he confirmed that there was one.

Some relevant details found by the commission are: –

Sub Inspector Priyadarshana of Sapugaskanda Police Station was killed.
Reason for killing suspected of been involved in anti government activities or being a member of an organization. He went missing and later was found floating in a river. No post Mortem or inquiry was held to his death. Body was taken to Sapugaskanda Police station and found missing the next day.

Who was involved?

Based on the un-challenged and un-contradicted evidence the commission stated that –

Officer in charge of the Sapugaskanda Police Station Keerthi Atapattu who was a member of the CSU unit along with SSP of Police Douglas Peiris, Nalin Delgoda, Deputy Inspector General of Police Meril Goonaratna and Raja Dias were directly responsible for disappearance and death of Sub Inspector Priadarshana. Ranil Wickremesinghe set up the “CSU” unit Sapugaskanda Police stations is under a mile from the Batalanda detention centre.

Other person

Mr Wijedasa Liyanarachchi lawyer. He was arrested in Tangalle (120 miles from Colombo) was handed to the CSU unit under the instruction of Ranil Wickremesinghe. Mr Liyanarachchi was taken to a police station close to Batalanda. The next day he taken to the hospital with over hundred injuries and died.

Ranil Wickremesinghe stated that the deceased might have sustained the fatal injuries in Tangalle.

Un-challenged and un-contradicted evidence confirm that deceased sustained the fatal injuries were under detention. Commission’s view was that Mr Liyaanrachchi was taken to Batanada where he was tortured during the night. Later the deceased was returned to the police station from where he was sent to the hospital. He died in hospital.

The commission reported detail of the above death and recommended to the Attorney general to take legal action against the ‘killers’ and arrange to pay compensations as required. Nothing was done.

Not all the incidents were recorded in the report I have received. The commission continues to state that none of the witnesses testified to the fact that they were assaulted and tortured at Batalanda Housing Scheme were challenged on the basis that they were giving false evidence.

Other, known lawyers who disappeared or killed. They were: –

1) Wijedasa Lyanarachchie (as above)

2) Charitha Lankapura

3) Kanchana Abeypala

4) Neville Nissanka

5) C.W.J.K Weeraman

6) Leslie Yatanwala

7) Padmandan

8) K. Vemudais

9) A.W Wettasinghe

10)Amara Vellapillai

11)Wettasinghe

12)Gamini Meddegedra

13) Sanath Karalliyadde

14) Sarath Sepala Rathnayake

15) D.M.U Bandara

16) Tudor Keerthinanda

17) A .Amirthalingam

18) Kandasamy

19) T Yogeshwaran

20) AW Wickramasinghe

21) Wanapala Ranatunga

The India National News paper “Hindu” in their report (dated 23 August 2000) stated that a policeman who was associated with the detention centre resurfaced in Sri Lanka and gave evidence to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) directly linking Ranil Wickremesinghe with the death squad.

News paper report goes on to state that Ranil Wickremesinghe held ‘unauthorized meetings of police officers involved in counter insurgence operations in the housing complex but he did not have any such authority. He further implied Ranil Wickremasinghe’s involvement in Batalanda.

Lord Avebury in his letter states (dated 3 November 2002)

There was an illegal detention camp which formed part of the Batalanda Scheme

The “CSU” unit headed by Douglas Peiris ran the detention camp
Douglas Peiris was given a house in the scheme at the instigation of Ranil Wickremesinghe

Ranil Wickremesinghe was indirectly responsible for the establishment and maintenance of the illegal detention camp at Batalanda.

Lord Avebury goes on the say the he does not think the world leaders would do anything about the link between Ranil Wickremesinghe and Batalanda Camp.

Based on the above facts it is evident that Ranil Wickremesinghe who was a senior Minister at that time and later he was appointed the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka. Was not only aware of torture and killings at Batalanda camp and it would appear that he was personally involved in its activities.

With this background a letter was sent to Wickremesinghe asking him to come clean. Something likes the ‘truth commission’ in South Africa but he has opted to ignore the option. The letter to Wickremesinghe was sent on 14 November 2002.

Following Ranil Wickremesinghe’s silence a letter a letter was sent to Mr Faiz Mustapha, previous High Commissioner for Sri Lanka in the United Kingdom. The letter was sent to him when he was the High Commissioner. The letter was for his information and confirming my intension to circulation this report.

As Ranil Wickremasinghe has failed to come up with any convincing explanation so far, I am not in favor of his election.

Bodipala Wijeyesinghe,

Resident in UK

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