US embassy cable - 04COLOMBO966

C O N F I D E N T I A L COLOMBO 000966 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SA, SA/INS AND CA/VO FROM THE AMBASSADOR 
 
E.O. 12958:    DECL:  06-10-14 
TAGS: CVIS, PREL, PINR, PTER, CE, Political Parties, LTTE - Peace Process 
SUBJECT:  "Double 00" Hit on Well-Known Tamil Politician 
 
 
(U) Classified by Ambassador Jeffrey J. Lunstead. 
Reasons 1.5 (b,d). 
 
1.  (C) By Septel, our consular chief is submitting a 
Visas Donkey cable regarding the June 9 visa application 
of Rajavarothiam Sampanthan, a veteran Tamil politician 
and respected member of Parliament representing the 
Tamil National Alliance (TNA).  Mr. Sampanthan applied 
for a visa to attend the annual convention of a Tamil 
cultural and charity organization and visit family 
members in the United States and is planning to visit 
Canada on the same trip.  Mr. Sampanthan has been issued 
several previous U.S. visas over the years.  To our 
surprise, Mr. Sampanthan has come up as a "Double 00" 
hit and, in response to a telephone query to VO by our 
consular chief, we have received an e-mail advising that 
he is also on a "watchlist." 
 
2.  (C) This is news to us.  Sampanthan is a long- 
standing Embassy contact and a regular fixture on the 
schedules of high-level USG visitors.  For example, he 
met with SA A/S Rocca during her visit to Sri Lanka last 
month, along with several of his TNA colleagues.  The 
May 2004 meeting was Sampanthan's second with the 
Assistant Secretary; they had previously met during A/S 
Rocca's May 2003 visit.  Sampanthan was also one of the 
key interlocutors during a January 2004 visit by 
Congressional staffers on the House International 
Relations Committee.  He has met with Ambassador 
Lunstead on several occasions, continuing a relationship 
he had with previous U.S. ambassadors. 
 
3.  (C) It is important to note that while the TNA 
shares some of the political objectives of the terrorist 
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) which is on the 
USG Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO) list, the TNA 
is a respected political party and is not a terrorist 
organization.  TNA members should not be on any sort of 
"watchlist" solely due to TNA affiliation.  The TNA does 
have a close political relationship with the LTTE.  As 
U.S. officials are prohibited from meeting with the 
LTTE, our association with the TNA, and Sampanthan in 
particular as a senior member, provides a crucial avenue 
for gaining insight into the LTTE's stance on issues, 
especially the peace process with the GSL.  In return, 
our dialogue with the TNA enables us to be explicit 
about the reasons the LTTE is listed as a U.S. FTO and 
to reinforce what the U.S. is seeking from the LTTE to 
be able to remove them from the list. 
 
4.  (C) Given Sampanthan's political prominence and his 
long association with the Embassy, I ask that this 
matter be expedited so that we can facilitate his 
travel.  If anyone in "the community" has information 
which would justify not issuing a visa to Mr. Sampanthan 
or his presence on a watchlist, please share it with us 
immediately (as it should have been before being entered 
into any sort of database). 
 
LUNSTEAD