Shocking Testimonies of Torture and Abduction From Batalanda

COLOMBO (News 1st); The Batalanda Commission report reveals another grave crime.

Earl Sugi Perera, also known as Sydney, is a key witness in this commission.

Sydney was an employee of the Ministry of Health.

He also ran a lottery shop in front of the Kiribathgoda Young Buddhist Association.

On March 23, 1990, Earl Sugi Perera was abducted.

By that time, the leader of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, Rohana Wijeweera, had already been assassinated.

After Sydney was abducted and placed in a van, he recognized one of the individuals as Sergeant Major Ratnayake of the Kelaniya Anti-Riot Unit.

Subsequently, Earl Sugi Perera, also known as Sydney, was taken to a house with his eyes blindfolded.

He was subjected to beatings and torture. While in the toilet, he looked out through a small window and realized he was in a house within the Batalanda Housing Scheme.

Sydney testified before the Batalanda Commission that other individuals were also tortured in that house.

He witnessed two people being hung by their legs inside the house, with blood streaming from their bodies.

On some days, he was forced to wear women's clothes and a wig, as revealed in his testimony before the Batalanda Commission.

After being held for several days, Assistant Superintendent of Police Douglas Peiris visited the house and also assaulted him, according to Sydney's statement.

After 22 days, he was taken outside in a jeep driven by Douglas Peiris.

During the journey, Assistant Superintendent of Police Douglas Peiris told Sydney, "When you go home, you must fulfill a duty for a certain gentleman. If you don't, you will be killed." When Sydney asked what the duty was, Peiris replied, "Your family members will know."

Sydney Perera learned the full extent of this ordeal only after returning home.

After Sydney was abducted, his father went to the Peliyagoda Police, but finding no help there, he approached the then-Inspector General of Police, Ernest Perera, leveraging their distant kinship.

The police headquarters contacted Douglas Peiris, who requested a photograph of Sydney Perera.

A few days later, Douglas Peiris informed Sydney's father that such a person was not at that location.

However, after Sydney's father mentioned that there were rumors in town that Sergeant Ratnayake had abducted his son, Douglas Peiris became angry, returned the photograph, and told him to leave.

A few days later, an unknown person approached Sydney's father with a note stating, "You will find your son. Go and meet this gentleman."

The note mentioned the name of Attorney-at-Law Lakshman Ranasinghe.

Later identified as the Chairman of the State Pharmaceuticals Corporation, he demanded Rs. 50,000 for Sydney Perera's release.

He provided an address in Kollupitiya for the money handover.

However, before the money was handed over, Sydney was released under the threat of fulfilling a duty.

Earl Sugi Perera later met Attorney-at-Law Lakshman Ranasinghe, expressed his gratitude, and promised to pay the requested amount later.

The then-Inspector General of Police, Ernest Perera, also confirmed this incident before the commission.

The house where Earl Sugi Perera was held was later identified before the commission as House B-8 in the Batalanda Housing Complex. The adjacent house was occupied by Ranil Wickremesinghe's personal security officer, Sudath Chandrasekara.

House B-8 was allocated for the security officers of Douglas Peiris.

Was Earl Sugi Perera abducted for anti-riot operations?

Or was it to extort money under the threat of death?

Should this era of crime be buried in the sands of time?

Shouldn't justice be served?