The Frontline Socialist Party (FSP) has demanded that all those responsible for killings in the Batalanda torture chambers should be arrested immediately.

Addressing a rally at Anuradhapura, on Saturday, Frontline Socialist Party Education Secretary Pubudu Jagoda said that there was no time bar for the offence of murder as such the government could arrest all those accused of involvement in those killings.

“There are eyewitnesses to those crimes, and they are ready to give evidence. There is no need to waste time anymore. What is this government waiting for? Are they waiting till these eyewitnesses who are now old die?” Jagoda queried.

There are two laws under which commissions of inquiry were appointed in Sri Lanka. One was the Commissions of Inquiry Act No 17 of 1948, and the other was the Special Presidential Commissions of Inquiry Law No 7 of 1978. A Commission of Inquiry set up under the 1948 law couldn’t recommend that a person be stripped of his or her civic rights. Power was conferred on a Commission of Inquiry under Section 9 of the 1978 law. When Chandrika appointed the Batalanda Commission of Inquiry, she ensured that Ranil Wickremesinghe would not lose his civic rights. As such, the Batalanda Commission had no power to strip anyone’s civic rights.

There have been murders. That is a fact. In Sri Lanka, the offences of murder and treason are offences that could be punished at any time. As such, there is no need to appoint more committees to make recommendations. The government must arrest the main suspects and then conduct investigations.

“We call upon the government to arrest Wickremesinghe first. The President has powers to give orders to the CID to commence the investigation process and implement the law. Then they should arrest Douglas Peiris – the senior most police officer who ran the Batalanda torture chamber. Peiris has published an obituary that he has passed away. This is another matter to be investigated. We have information that he is alive. Then they could arrest Nalin Delgoda. There are policemen and security forces members who worked there and ready to give evidence.

We have Indrananda Silva, a military photographer, who took pictures of those who had been killed. His duty was to photograph the victims on the day before they were killed. There are many servicemen and policemen who are now retired and will come forward to give evidence. They did not give evidence before the Batalanda Commission because they were in the service then. There are eyewitnesses who are ready to give evidence about killings, torture and sexual torture that took place there.

The government then should arrest Sudath Chandrasekara, who was the Private Secretary to Wickremesinghe. When he resigned from that post, he wrote a letter admitting to the killings he committed at the behest of Wickremesinghe. The letter is in his handwriting with his signature. He should be taken into custody and questioned.

“With all these facts, why does the government need the Attorney General’s instructions to arrest them? Jagoda queried.

“This is not political revenge. This is justice. This is a world known principle called transitional justice. It requires that society talks about the atrocities that took place and punishes those responsible. We demand the same,” Jagoda said.