Batalanda Commission Uncovers Shocking Details of Douglas Peiris's Involvement in Extrajudicial Killings and Torture

COLOMBO (News1st): Assistant Superintendent of Police Douglas Peiris.

Yesterday, News 1st revealed how Douglas Peiris, who joined the police force in 1967 as a probationary constable, rapidly received promotions within the police service.

This information was based on excerpts from the Batalanda Commission report.

A significant point revealed before the Commission was that Douglas Peiris was rapidly promoted due to his qualification of "eliminate" subversive individuals.

The Commission later discovered that the term "eliminate" subversive individuals referred to "extrajudicial killings".

In 1995, Douglas Peiris was suspended from his duties due to investigations into serious offenses allegedly committed by him.

During the Commission's investigations, he suddenly disappeared and stopped appearing before the Commission.

According to the Commission's report, since Douglas Peiris was not obligated to continuously appear before the Commission, no investigation was pursued into his disappearance.

However, it was later revealed that Douglas Peiris had secretly left the country.

Excerpt from the Batalanda Commission Report:

"Investigations by the Criminal Investigation Department revealed that Douglas Peiris had left the country on July 20, 1996. Before leaving, Peiris obtained a fake passport under the false pretext that he was using the name 'Talpawila Vidana Kankanange Wimalasena.' The address he provided to obtain this passport was No. 37, Kandy Road, Peiris Mawatha, Kelaniya."

End of Excerpt.

According to the Commission's report, no one has been able to prove how Douglas Peiris left Sri Lanka.

However, information obtained from Interpol revealed that he had traveled by air from Bombay on July 22, 1996, on flight TG 970, about a year after his suspension.

Excerpt from the Batalanda Commission Report:

"He arrived in Bangkok on the same day on flight TG 970. Subsequently, on August 9, Peiris traveled to Switzerland."

End of Excerpt.

Why did Douglas Peiris go to Switzerland?

Douglas Peiris, who went to Zurich, Switzerland, requested political asylum.

The Commission's report states that Swiss authorities granted him temporary permission to stay while his application for political asylum was being considered.

Excerpt from the Batalanda Commission Report:

"The main reason Douglas Peiris gave for seeking political asylum was that he would be subjected to persecution if he returned to Sri Lanka. The Swiss authorities decided not to accept Douglas Peiris's reasons and refused to grant him political asylum. They were not satisfied with the reasons given by Peiris."

End of Excerpt.

Under Swiss law, Douglas Peiris was given until January 31, 1997, to file an appeal against the rejection order.

Surprisingly, he disappeared again during this time.

According to the Commission's report, from that moment on, the Commission received no further information about Douglas Peiris's whereabouts.

Excerpt from the Batalanda Commission Report:

"However, his lawyer, Nalin Ladduwahetti, occasionally requested copies of the Commission's proceedings and documents submitted to the Commission. These requests were granted, and the necessary records were released to the lawyer."

End of Excerpt.

Meanwhile, the Commission received a document purportedly sent by Douglas Peiris on August 14, 1996.

The Commission's report states that the document was similar to an affidavit.

The Commission's first concern was to verify the authenticity of this document.

Excerpt from the Batalanda Commission Report:

"To determine the authenticity of this document, an investigation was conducted to ascertain whether the Justice of the Peace who allegedly certified the document had actually done so. The investigation revealed that the Justice of the Peace mentioned in the document had not certified it. Therefore, the contents of the document were not considered."

End of Excerpt.

Douglas Peiris's name is frequently mentioned among the Commission's decisions in Chapter 9 of the Batalanda Commission report.

His name is at the top of the list of those who obtained houses in the Batalanda housing complex in violation of police department regulations.


The Commission's report clearly states that some houses in the Batalanda housing scheme were used to illegally detain and torture individuals between January 1, 1988, and December 31, 1990.

During that period, Douglas Peiris used houses in the Batalanda housing complex, and some houses were also used by Douglas Peiris's security officers.

Another important point in the Commission's decisions is that Assistant Superintendent of Police Douglas Peiris is at the top of the list of police officers directly responsible for the illegal detention and torture of individuals in the houses of the Batalanda housing complex during that period.

The truth can never be suppressed.