Frontline Socialist Party Education Secretary Pubudu Jayagoda says that there is nothing to ask from the Attorney General about prosecution. Not only Ranil should be arrested for the Batalanda murder, but also Gotabaya Rajapaksa for the Matale murder and investigations should be launched. 

He said this at a seminar held in Anuradhapura. Pubudu Jayagoda, who further commented, said:

“There are eyewitnesses and evidence of these crimes. Don’t kill any more time. Are you all waiting for them to grow old and die? Are you all waiting for the eyewitnesses to come? Don’t wait until that. The government should take action against these crimes.”

Chandrika’s treachery to save Ranil..

“There are two laws for appointing commissions of inquiry in Sri Lanka. One is a law enacted in 1948. The other is the Presidential Special Commission of Inquiry Act of 1978. The 1948 Act does not give those commissions the power to abolish civil rights.

That power was given to the commissions by Section 9 of the 1978 Act. Former president Chandrika enacted the commission investigating the Batalanda crimes not by the new 1978 Act, hoping to save her friend using the 1948 Act. Therefore, the Batalanda Commission of Inquiry does not have the power to abolish civil rights.”

Arrest Ranil Wickramasinghe and Douglas Peiris..

“This doesn’t need anything else. A murder has happened. There’s nothing to ask the Attorney General. There’s no statute of limitations for murders and treason in Sri Lanka. It can be implemented at any time once found. So there’s no need to make a fuss by forming committees”

“Only one thing to be done. A specific murder charge has been made. First is to arrest the accused and launch an investigation. First is to arrest Ranil Wickremesinghe. Arrest him and start an investigation.
The President can order the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to conduct a comprehensive investigation into this matter, arrest the suspects and file a case. Arrest Ranil Wickramasinghe and Douglas Peiris.”

“As far as we know, Douglas Peiris has committed another crime. He has been reported dead. According to all the information we know, he is not dead, he is still alive” “It is also a problem to report him dead while he is still alive. Arrest him for those, first of all. The main torturer is Nalin Delgoda, those are the names. Take them into custody.”

There are people who witnessed all these crimes.

“Police officers who worked there are ready to give evidence. A retired officer who worked there as a police inspector has given an interview recently to a YouTube channel.

“He has revealed all the crimes he saw in that interview. Summon them too. They did not go to give evidence at the Batalanda Commission because at that time, those officers were in active police service. Now they are retired officers without commitment but worked in Batalanda before. Those officers are ready to come and give evidence about the crimes that took place. Summon those officers. If you invite, they will come voluntarily”

“Our comrade Indrananda has also been taken to Batalanda to take photographs. He is the one who took photographs of those who were to be killed. He took photographs of everyone the day before they were killed” 

“He is one of the key person who witnessed all the crimes that happened there, He knowa who the people were who were happy to see the torture inflicted on those young men, some people suffering from perverted sexual desires, there are people who witnessed all of that with their own eyes.”

Arrest Sudath Chandrasekara too..

“Then arrest Sudath Chandrasekara too. In a letter Sudath Chandrasekara, who was Ranil’s secretary, wrote when he resigned as Ranil’s secretary, Sudath Chandrasekara said, “I did a lot for you, and when you told me to kill people in Batalanda, I killed them.” 

“He has accepted responsibility for the murders he did in a letter signed by his own handwriting. Arrest him. Even though you (Ranil) did this to me (sudath), it is written in the letter that I (Sudath) killed them because you (Ranil) told me to do so”

“Now if a person has written a letter publicly saying that he killed them, wouldn’t he be arrested? Do we still need the Attorney General’s advice for that too?”

This is not revenge, we are asking for ‘transitional justice’

“This is not political revenge against Ranil or anyone else. We are not intervening to this out of that feeling. If we wish we can forgive the criminals who killed tens of thousands of our brothers and sisters. That is not a problem. But what are we asking for? What we are asking for is very specific. What we are asking for is called ‘Transitional justice’ in Sinhala it is called ‘සංක්‍රාන්තික යුක්තිය’  What happened must be revealed” 

“Sri Lanka is a country where no justice is dispensed for crimes and victims. The land is soaked with blood and impunity. Without dispensing justice for crimes Sri Lanka cannot prosper” 

Not only Ranil Wickremesinghe killed in Batalanda, but also Gotabaya Rajapaksa, is  also responsible for the mass grave found in Matale Vijaya Vidyalaya, who was the commander of the Matale army at the time. Justice is needed for those crimes as well. Now anyone can tell those who are now dead and have become bones, those guys are no longer alive. This is how justice is done to those martyred comrades, I am saying here.”

“What is the way to do justice?

Number one. The whole country, the whole world, needs to know what happened during the 88/89 insurgency. The truth needs to be known.

Investigate and tell what happened. Who was killed? How  many killed and how killed? People have a right to know the truth. The whole society needs to talk about what happened.

Number two is to punish those responsible for those crimes. That is not revenge. That is the standard principle of ‘Transitional Justice’ in the world. That is what we are demanding.”