Ilankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) parliamentarian P. Sathiyalingam condemned the Sri Lankan government’s continued refusal to investigate or acknowledge the existence of torture camps and other human rights violations committed in the North-East, as he welcomed the recent set of sanctions by Britain on Sri Lankan war criminals.
Speaking at a candidate introduction event in Vavuniya on 27 March, Sathiyalingam referenced the Batalanda torture camp, which has come under renewed public scrutiny, and alleged that many other torture camps like Batalanda operated in the North, but the Sri Lankan government continues to ignore their existence and the crimes committed within them.
Many individuals were handed over to the military, yet their fate remains to be investigated, he said. The government is unwilling even to engage in discussions on the matter, he added.
His remarks come in the wake of the United Kingdom’s announcement of sanctions against four Sri Lankan war criminals accused of grave human rights violations, including three senior military commanders and a former paramilitary leader. Sathiyalingam welcomed the move, emphasising that while significant, the sanctions only target a fraction of those responsible for crimes against humanity, despite the wealth of available evidence.
Officials discuss the Batalanda report, he added, but conveniently overlook the existence of numerous other torture camps in the North.
Sathiyalingam was critical not only of the current government, but also of previous administrations that, he said, have failed to act on evidence of mass atrocities committed against Tamils during and after the armed conflict.
The Sri Lankan government has dismissed these sanctions as a one-sided decision, he noted, but has failed to take any credible steps to address the crimes committed against Tamils.
The Batalanda torture camp, originally investigated by a presidential commission in the 1990s, has gained renewed attention after a disastrous Al Jazeera interview with former president Ranil Wickremesinghe. But while Batalanda is now being revisited, torture sites in the Tamil North-East remain ignored, and calls for investigation have been repeatedly sidelined.
Survivors and families of the disappeared have consistently pointed to the existence of secret detention centres and military-run camps across the North-East, where torture, sexual violence, and enforced disappearances were rampant during and after the armed conflict.
Sathiyalingam acknowledged Sri Lanka’s ongoing economic crisis, stating that ITAK had initially given the government space to stabilise the economy before raising political demands. However, he warned that continued inaction would not be tolerated.
If the government fails to act swiftly, our party will not hesitate to oppose it, he claimned.
In his closing remarks, Sathiyalingam stressed the deep trauma that continues to afflict Tamil families and survivors, and criticised the state’s persistent denial and failure to address their suffering.
He urged international organisations and human rights bodies to take the lead in conducting independent investigations into torture camps and other atrocities committed in the Tamil homeland.
