The Chairman of the Sri Lankan Presidential Commission on Disappearances and War Crimes, Justice Maxwell Paranagama, told The New Indian Express that none of the witnesses who appeared before the panel complained about the existence of torture chambers in the Lankan naval base at Trincomalee.

He was reacting to the observation of the UN Working Group on Enforced and Involuntary Disappearances that they had seen a secret underground detention cum torture centre in the Trincomalee naval base.

“The UN Working Group should have gone to these places un-announced. Given advance notice, witnesses are tutored by interested parties,” Paranagama told Express on Friday.

“However, we are studying the UN group’s report and will issue a press release early next week,” the retired Sri Lankan judge said.

The UN team said they saw 12 cells in the Trincomalee naval base. The chambers’ walls had blood stains and had definitely been in use till 2010 if not longer.

(With inputs of The New Indian Express)