US embassy cable - 04COLOMBO309

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 COLOMBO 000309 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SA, SA/INS, INR/NESA, DRL/CRA; NSC FOR E. 
MILLARD 
 
PLEASE ALSO PASS TOPEC 
 
E.O. 12958:   DECL: 02-25-14 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, PINS, PINR, PHUM, CE, Elections 
SUBJECT:  Campaign Snapshot:  election-related violence 
starts up; Buddhist leadership opposes all-monk slate 
 
Refs:  Colombo 266, and previous 
 
(U) Classified by James F. Entwistle, Deputy Chief of 
Mission.  Reasons 1.5 (b,d). 
 
1. (C) In this message, Mission reviews the following 
items related to Sri Lanka's upcoming April 2 
parliamentary election campaign: 
 
-- Incidents of election-related violence already being 
reported; 
 
-- Buddhist leadership oppose monks standing for 
election; 
 
 
-- Elections Commissioner sets guidelines on use of 
state media; 
 
-- Tamil party says it is running on behalf of the 
Tigers; 
 
-- "The Flavor of the Campaign":  Police officials urge 
parties not to distribute liquor and guns among campaign 
supporters. 
 
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Incidents of election-related violence 
--------------------------------------- 
 
2.  (C) Nominations for Sri Lanka's upcoming April 2 
parliamentary election closed at noon on February 24, 
with the nominations lists now in the process of being 
validated and finalized by the Election Commissioner. 
Even before the nomination period ended and serious 
campaigning started, however, contacts reported that 
election-related violence had already begun. 
Approximately 17 incidents of election-related violence 
have occurred between March 10-24, ranging from minor 
scuffles between supporters of opposing parties to 
violent demonstrations in which police used tear gas to 
disperse unruly mobs.  In one of the latest such 
incidents, police fired tear gas to disperse a crowd of 
United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) supporters in 
the central district of Kegalle after the crowd began 
acting in a violent manner, according to contacts.  In 
another incident in the southern coastal town of Galle, 
four individuals were hospitalized after being pelted 
with stones by supporters of an unidentified party.  In 
related news, one of the main priorities of President 
Kumaratunga's recently established national advisory 
council to combat crime will be to battle election- 
related violence.  The council, which includes civil 
society commentators, legal professionals, business 
officials, police, and Buddhist clergy, is headed by the 
Secretary of the Internal Security Ministry. 
 
SIPDIS 
 
3.  (C) COMMENT:  Sri Lankan elections tend to be 
violent by nature, and this time around does not look 
like an exception.  (The 2001 parliamentary elections 
were marred by violence, including fifty deaths.)  The 
setting up of a council which puts combating election 
violence as one of its top aims is good news, although 
it is not yet clear how exactly the council will work or 
what its enforcement mechanism will be.  The fact that 
election-related violence has already begun -- over a 
month before the actual election -- does not provide 
much hope for a violence-free election process, despite 
politicians' pleas for such.  END COMMENT. 
 
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Buddhist leaders opposed to candidacy of monks 
--------------------------------------------- - 
 
4.  (C) Two leading Buddhist monks have publicly stated 
their opposition to plans by a extremist Sinhalese party 
to field a slate made up entirely of Buddhist monks in 
the upcoming election.  (According to contacts, the 
monks on the Janatha Hela Urumaya, "JHU" slate are 
regarded as nationalistic and extremist.)  In a joint 
February 22 announcement, the mahanayakes (High Priests) 
of the Malwatte and Asigirya chapters stated that 
"contesting parliamentary elections is the beginning of 
the ruin of the Buddha Sasana (existence of Buddhism) 
and cannot be approved under any circumstances."  The 
mahanayakes went on to say that the role of Buddhist 
clergy had historically been "to advise and guide in 
State activities" and urged members of the clergy to 
fulfill their responsibility as advisors, rather than as 
representatives.  Many Mission contacts have indicated 
that they are uneasy at the idea of monks running for 
elections, opining that this would "bring the clergy 
down." 
 
5.  (C) COMMENT:  Although Buddhist clergy are 
politically important behind the scenes, as recognized 
by the two monks in their statement, only one Buddhist 
monk to date has won a seat in Parliament.  The attempt 
by the JHU -- formerly the Sihala Urumaya party -- to 
get their extremist Buddhist candidates in Parliament 
may well backfire.  The two mahanayakes are among the 
most influential Buddhist leaders in the country and are 
well respected by the majority of Buddhist faithful in 
Sri Lanka.  The chief monks' negative opinion of JHU's 
slate is likely to be remembered by Sinhalese Buddhist 
voters come election day.  END COMMENT. 
 
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Elections official sets guidelines on use of state media 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
 
6.  (C) Elections Commissioner Dananda Dissanayake has 
set guidelines for the use of state-run television and 
radio during the run-up to the parliamentary election. 
Addressing the media on February 24, Dissanayake said 
"the electronic media, specially the government-owned, 
must be particularly scrupulous in complying in their 
obligation to provide accurate, balanced, and impartial 
information in their reporting of news and current 
affairs."  While the full scope of the guidelines has 
not been made public as of yet, they seem to draw from 
the 17th amendment to the Sri Lankan constitution, which 
gives the Elections Commissioner provision to prevent 
the abuse of state resources during elections. 
Dissanayake also stated that he could name a competent 
authority to manage election-related broadcasts, in the 
event of misuse of the state media. 
 
7.  (C) COMMENT:  The state-run media has been accused 
by the PM's party of favoring President Kumaratunga's 
UPFA grouping, especially since the President's November 
4 takeover of the communications ministry.  In fact, 
media reports February 25 state that the UNP is already 
seeking a meeting with the Communications Minister to 
complain about alleged state media abuses.  The UPFA, 
for its part, has countered by saying the privately-held 
media favors the PM, and so it must make use of the 
state-run media.  Civil society commentators, noting 
that the state-run media is indeed biased, have offered 
their services to the Elections Commissioner to aid in 
monitoring the state media for evidence of abuses.  END 
COMMENT. 
 
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Tamil party says it is running on behalf of the Tigers 
--------------------------------------------- ----------- 
 
8.  (C) On February 24, the pro-Liberation Tigers of 
Tamil Eelam (LTTE) website "TamilNet" reported that R. 
Sampathan, a member of the pro-Tiger Tamil National 
Alliance (TNA), said "we openly state that the TNA is 
contesting the forthcoming general election on behalf of 
the LTTE."  He continued by adding that the "TNA is 
contesting the forthcoming general election with only 
one objective.  That is to show the international 
community that Tamils in the northeast are wholly behind 
the LTTE in the peace effort and Tamil people fully 
support the Interim Self Governing Authority proposals 
presented to the GSL by the LTTE."  Speaking at an event 
in the eastern port city of Trincomalee, Sampathan also 
reportedly said that the upcoming election would 
"strengthen the hand of the LTTE in the proposed peace 
talks." 
 
9.  (C) COMMENT:  The TNA has long been known to be pro- 
LTTE, and Sampathan's comments follow LTTE political 
chief S.P. Thamilchelvam's February 17 endorsement of 
the TNA's slate of candidates.  The Tigers' comments 
were the first direct involvement by the group in a 
political campaign.  With the TNA's fulsome response, 
the trading of statements serves to highlight the 
increasing confidence of both the LTTE and the TNA in 
the Tigers' efforts to be involved in political 
campaigns in an open manner -- a contrast to their 
clandestine activities of the past.  END COMMENT. 
 
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Police urge no guns and liquor to party supporters 
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10.  (U) In our "flavor of the campaign" section:  On 
February 23, the Police Elections Secretariat requested 
that political parties refrain from supplying alcohol 
and firearms to their supporters during the period 
leading up to the elections.  Speaking to the media, 
head of the Elections Secretariat Deputy Inspector 
General Jayantha Wickremaratne, also requested that 
candidates maintain control over their supporters and 
cooperate with authorities to ensure a violence-free 
campaign, noting that in the past the availability of 
alcohol and firearms where political supporters gathered 
had led to violence. 
 
11.  (C) In the past, there have been numerous instances 
where government officials or their relatives have been 
involved in altercations involving firearms, alcohol, or 
(usually) both.  Given the examples set by this segment 
of politicians, the call for parties to refrain from 
distributing firearms and alcohol (which they call a 
"ready recipe for violence") is laudable.  It remains to 
be seen, however, if the campaign will take the high 
road or whether it will follow the model of previous 
elections. 
 
12.  (U) Minimize considered. 
 
LUNSTEAD