News

FSP demands arrests of those responsible for gruesome killings at Batalanda

Published

2 years ago

2025/03/18

Jagoda

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.

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Geneva takes up Sallay’s case and govt. ignores opportunity to answer accusations

Published

3 hours ago

2026/10/5

Thilina Walpola

Suresh Sallay

The government has chosen not to respond to questions raised by the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) regarding the detention of retired Maj. Gen. Suresh Sallay in connection with the ongoing investigations into the 2019 Easter Sunday attacks.

The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) arrested the ex-official in late February this year. The Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention, the Special Rapporteur on the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health and the Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers have jointly raised the issue on 20 July, 2026.

Drawing attention of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake to what they called alleged arbitrary detention of Sallay, former Director General of the State Intelligence Service (SIS) and former Director of Military Intelligence (DMI), under the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), as well as allegations of torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment while in custody, resulting in the grave deterioration of his health, and imminent risks of retaliation through further torture and ill-treatment resulting in irreparable harm, should he be released from hospital and returned to custody, the UN sought the government explanation with a 60-day period.

The UN has stated: “This communication, and any response received from your Excellency’s Government, will be made public via the communications reporting website at the 60 days mark. Should your Excellency’s Government respond within 60 days, both the communication and the response, may be published before the 60 days mark. The communications and responses

will also be made available in the subsequent periodic report to be presented to the Human Rights Council.”

In the absence of the government’s response, the UN posted the letter, dated 20 July, 2026, addressed to President Dissanayake. The full letter can be accessed https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=31125

News

Section of wartime KKS High Security Zone vacated to facilitate economic development in the area

Published

3 hours ago

2026/10/5

Thilina Walpola

The Army, last week, vacated an area, within the wartime high security zone in the Jaffna peninsula. The Defence Ministry said that an extent of 187.56 acres of land, belonging to the Cement Corporation in Kankesanthurai, Jaffna, has been released by the military. The released land, located in Grama Niladhari Division J/233, Kankesanthurai West, within the Valikamam North (Tellippalai) Divisional Secretariat Division, had been utilised by the Sri Lanka Army since the middle of 1997.

The release of the 187.56-acre extent forms part of the initiative to make State land available for the proposed investment zone in Kankesanthurai, thereby facilitating future investment and economic development in the area.

News

Lawyer lodges complaint against Govt. Printer, Media Ministry Secy.

Published

3 hours ago

2026/10/5

Thilina Walpola

A complaint has been lodged with the Colombo Fraud Investigation Bureau against the Government Printer and the Secretary to the Ministry of Media regarding the online release of falsified documents bearing a forged Speaker’s certificate.

Attorney-at-Law Aruna Laksiri has lodged a complaint with the Colombo Fraud Investigation Bureau requesting legal action against the Government Printer of the Department of Government Printing (No. 118, Dr. Danister de Silva Mawatha, Colombo 08), Prasanna Jayaratne, and the Secretary to the Ministry of Mass Media (Asidisi Medura, 163, Kirulapone Mawatha, Polhengoda, Colombo 05), Dr. Anil Jasinghe.

The complaint alleges the commission of offences by forging and uploading falsified documents online using a forged Speaker’s certification, failure to perform statutory duties, and misappropriation of public property.

The complaint states that a copy of the English translation of the 22nd Amendment to the Constitution was downloaded and printed from the official website of the Government Printing Department (www.documents.gov.lk), which operates under the Ministry of Mass Media. On its outer cover and on page 1, the text “certified on 25th of September, 2026” is inscribed inside brackets.

The complaint pointed out that the Speaker has certified an English translation. Under Articles 23, 79, 83, and 80 of the Constitution, Parliament enacts laws and the Speaker certifies bills strictly in the Sinhala and Tamil languages; under the Constitution, therefore the Speaker cannot apply such certification to an English translation.