US embassy cable - 03COLOMBO1878

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 001878 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SA/INS, PM, PM/WRA 
PLEASE ALSO PASS TOPEC 
 
E.O. 12958:    N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PGOV, EAID, KHDP, CE, LTTE - Peace Process 
SUBJECT:  U.S.-sponsored humanitarian demining training 
program for Sri Lankan military enters operational phase 
 
Refs:  (A) Colombo 1488 
-      (B) Colombo 1430 
-      (C) Colombo 1295, and previous 
 
1.  (U) This message is Sensitive but Unclassified -- 
Please handle accordingly. 
 
2.  (SBU) SUMMARY:  A major State Department-sponsored 
humanitarian demining training initiative has entered 
its operational phase.  Run by the RONCO Corporation, 
the program is training the Sri Lankan Army (SLA) in 
humanitarian demining operations and will provide on- 
site technical support during mine clearance operations 
in the north/east.  The program, which has consistently 
garnered positive press coverage, is a signal of strong 
U.S. support for Sri Lanka's peace and reconciliation 
efforts.  END SUMMARY. 
 
3.  (SBU) NEW USG DEMINING PROGRAM:  A State Department- 
sponsored initiative to provide humanitarian demining 
training to the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has entered its 
operational phase.  The USD 2.2 million program, which 
is being run by the RONCO Corporation, provides demining 
training and operational oversight to SLA demining 
teams.  An initial batch of 125 deminers graduated from 
the training course on September 24 and a second group 
of 147 is slated to graduate on November 4.  A total of 
300 SLA troops are slated to be trained by the time the 
program wraps up in early 2004.  The training is taking 
place at a SLA engineering school located in 
Embilipititya town in Hambantota District in the south 
of the country. 
 
4.  (SBU) TECHNICAL OVERSIGHT OPERATIONS TO BEGIN: 
After the training is completed, RONCO will join the 
teams for on-site humanitarian demining operations in 
Jaffna and Vavuniya Districts in the north, and 
Trincomalee District in the east.  Technical surveying 
operations, in preparation for mine clearance, are 
currently underway in all three of these districts.  The 
teams, operating under the technical oversight of RONCO 
personnel, will target specific areas for 
landmine/unexploded ordnance (UXO) removal based on 
maximum humanitarian impact.  Typical sites would 
include areas of high pedestrian traffic and areas where 
Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) are attempting to 
return.  In addition to hands-on humanitarian demining 
training, the SLA teams are also trained in performing 
survey work and how to work with residents of the 
communities in the affected areas.  Rounding out the 
program, some SLA personnel are given emergency medical 
training to deal with the possibility of injury during 
the demining operations. 
 
5.  (SBU) EXCELLENT COOPERATION WITH SLA:  Cooperation 
between RONCO and the SLA continues to be outstanding. 
RONCO chief of party Fredrik Palsson told poloff on 
October 30 that he was extremely pleased both with the 
level of cooperation he had received from the SLA and 
with the professionalism of the students.  Showing the 
high level of support that the SLA maintains for the 
program, Lieutenant General Lionel Balagalle, the Chief 
of the Defense Staff, is slated to attend the November 4 
graduation ceremony (as will poloff who coordinates 
Embassy demining efforts.) 
 
6.  (SBU) PRESS COVERAGE HIGHLY POSITIVE:  The project 
continues to garner extremely favorable press coverage. 
The September 24 graduation of the first tranche of 
students was covered widely in English-, Sinhala-, and 
Tamil-language papers.  Government and independent radio 
and television also carried highly favorable coverage of 
the event. 
 
7.  (SBU) COMMENT:  Sri Lanka's landmine/UXO problem is 
a serious one, with UNDP estimating that roughly one 
million landmines are present along with thousands of 
tons of UXO in the north/east.  Dozens of Sri Lankans 
are injured every month and some are killed.  To counter 
this problem, the U.S. sent out two Quick Reaction 
Demining Force teams to Jaffna in 2002 and 2003 to 
remove mines and UXO at key sites.  These "QRDF" teams 
had great success.  With the RONCO training and 
technical oversight program, U.S. assistance is now 
helping to create an indigenous demining capacity that 
will allow the GSL to continue effective operations 
after USG involvement ends.  Overall, these demining 
programs are serving to underscore the U.S. government's 
continued strong support for Sri Lanka's peace and 
reconciliation efforts.  END COMMENT. 
 
8.  (U) Minimize considered. 
 
ENTWISTLE