US embassy cable - 03COLOMBO1587

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 001587 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SA, SA/INS, S/CT; NSC FOR E. MILLARD 
 
E.O. 12958:   N/A 
TAGS: PTER, PGOV, PINS, PINR, CE, LTTE - Peace Process 
SUBJECT:  Tamil Tiger leader Prabhakaran makes rare 
public appearance 
 
Refs:  (A) Colombo 1583, and previous 
-      (B) FBIS Reston Va DTG 072251Z Sep 03 
 
(U) Classified by James F. Entwistle, Deputy Chief of 
Mission. Reasons 1.5 (b,d). 
 
1. (C)  SUMMARY:  Tamil Tiger leader V. Prabakharan gave 
a brief speech at the opening of an office for the LTTE 
"police force" in the north-central Vanni region on 
September 7.  While the speech was somewhat 
confrontational in tone, he did not comment directly on 
the peace process.  The September 7 appearance by 
Prabhakaran was one of only a handful this year by the 
notoriously reclusive LTTE leader.  END SUMMARY. 
 
============================ 
An Appearance by Prabhakaran 
============================ 
 
2.  (SBU) Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) leader 
V. Prabakharan made a public appearance on September 7 
at the opening of a new headquarters for the "Tamil 
Eelam police force."  The event took place in 
Kilinochchi in the LTTE-controlled Vanni region of 
north-central Sri Lanka.  Other participants at the 
ceremony included:  Pottu Amman, the LTTE's intelligence 
chief; S.P. Thamilchelvam, the group's political chief; 
and Soosai, the commander of the "Sea Tigers." 
The event received significant coverage in pro-LTTE 
press outlets.  The webpage of the LTTE Peace 
Secretariat (lttepeacesecretariat.com) and "TamilNet," 
 
SIPDIS 
for example, reproduced the text of Prabhakaran's brief 
remarks and posted numerous photos of the ceremony. 
 
====================== 
A Confrontational Tone 
====================== 
 
3.  (SBU) In terms of substance, Prabhakaran's comments 
were a bit confrontational in tone.  He did not directly 
comment on the ongoing peace process, however, though he 
referred to a Tamil "homeland" and "nation," constructs 
that are controversial to many in the south.  Some key 
snippets from his remarks included: 
 
-- "A nation gets its nobility only when its society 
attains upliftment...Social interaction and 
relationships evolve out of this attainment.  Such an 
interlinked social life as a nation is in no way a 
concession bestowed upon its people; nor is it an 
automatic evolution with the passage of time." 
 
-- "As one of the steps in the right direction, the 
Tamil Eelam police force was institutionalized a decade 
ago in our land.  The ground situation then was grave 
and crisis-ridden.  The Sinhala regime's genocidal war 
on our soil was being prosecuted with vengeance.  An 
economic embargo was rigidly enforced and there was a 
scarcity of food and all other essentials for 
livelihood...Above all the Sinhala chauvinistic regime 
engaged itself in manifold attempts to destroy our 
cherished collective social life and through that tried 
to erase our existence itself.  It is under such grave 
circumstances that we institutionalized the Tamil Eelam 
police service in our soil to preserve and protect unity 
and the integrity achieved through the sacrifices of 
several thousands of our fighters.  This is an important 
turning point in our liberation struggle; an important 
milestone in the structuring of our homeland." 
 
-- "With the unstinted support of the people, our police 
force is able to effectively keep crime away from the 
society insofar as that the hostile Colombo press, 
though unwillingly, praises the effectiveness of our 
police force which carries out its functions in a 
people-friendly and disciplined manner.  Going the extra 
mile, the Tamil Eelam police force is functioning with a 
sense of patriotism and humanitarian values.  I am 
really proud of this achievement." 
=============== 
A Rare Sighting 
=============== 
 
4.  (SBU) Prabakharan's September 7 public appearance 
was a rare one.  So far, the pro-LTTE media have 
mentioned his activities only on a handful of occasions 
this year, including: 
 
-- On July 26, Prabakharan presided over a ceremony in 
the Vanni to mark the completion of training of LTTE 
military officers.  Prabakharan reportedly made a speech 
at the occasion, but it was not reproduced in the pro- 
LTTE press. 
 
-- On July 16, Prabakharan took part in a commemoration 
ceremony in the Vanni for Charles Anthony (a.k.a. 
"Seelan"), a LTTE commander who was killed in July 1983. 
 
-- On May 15, Prabakharan met with Norwegian Foreign 
Minister Jan Peterson in Kilinochchi. 
 
-- On May 12, Prabakharan presented an award to the 
family of a slain Tamil politician. 
 
-- On May 8, Prabakharan met with Japanese Special Envoy 
Yasushi Akashi.  Anton Balasingham, the LTTE's London- 
based spokesman, also participated in the meeting. 
 
-- On February 20, Prabakharan participated in the 14th 
anniversary celebrations of "Eelanaatham," a pro-LTTE 
Tamil-language daily newspaper published in the Vanni. 
 
======= 
COMMENT 
======= 
 
5.  (C) Prabhakaran is notoriously reclusive.  In 
keeping public appearances to a minimum, Prabhakaran is 
clearly concerned that he could be a target of attack by 
his numerous enemies.  At the same time, observers have 
commented that he takes care to cultivate an image of 
being withdrawn from day-to-day concerns, wanting to be 
looked at as a leader who focuses on the big picture. 
One annual event that Prabhakaran has participated in 
routinely by making a long speech is LTTE "hero's (or 
martyr's) day," which is on November 27.  He used this 
occasion in 2001 to announce the group's interest in 
beginning a peace process with the government.  There 
are no indications yet as to what he has on his mind for 
this year's speech.  END COMMENT. 
 
6.  (U) Minimize considered. 
 
LUNSTEAD