In Sri Lanka, the Cabinet has decided to present the Batalanda Commission report to Parliament within the week. Addressing the media, Cabinet Spokesman Minister Nalinda Jayatissa said that the decision followed an in-depth discussion during the Cabinet meeting chaired by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. President Chandrika Kumaratunga established the Presidential Commission of Inquiry widely known as the Batalanda Commission on September 21, 1995, to investigate alleged human rights violations linked to a detention centre in the late 1980s. The commission was tasked with examining the illegal detention, torture, assassination and disappearances of individuals at the Batalanda Housing Scheme.
The spokesman added that the government will determine the next steps regarding the report after its presentation in Parliament. Typically, when a commission submits a report with recommendations, the Attorney General’s advice is sought before proceeding further. However, this process requires the report to be formally tabled in Parliament first.
The Batalanda Commission report has drawn renewed public attention following a recent interview in which former President Ranil Wickremesinghe was questioned about it by an international media outlet. Mr. Wickremesinghe was the Minister of Industries at the time.