US embassy cable - 04COLOMBO1074

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 001074 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SA, SA/INS, S/CT, INR/B, CA/VO(?) 
NSC FOR E. MILLARD 
 
E.O. 12958:    DECL:  06-24-14 
TAGS: PTER, PREL, PGOV, CVIS, MOPS, CE, NO, LTTE - Peace Process, Political Parties 
SUBJECT:  Former PM requests U.S. visa for fellow MP 
involved in the transfer of rebel LTTE leader Karuna 
 
Refs:  Colombo 1071, and previous 
 
(U) Classified by Ambassador Jeffrey J. Lunstead. 
Reasons 1.5 (b,d). 
 
1.  (C) SUMMARY:  UNP MP Moulana admits to transporting 
rebel Tiger leader Karuna to Colombo.  According to 
former PM Wickremesinghe, Karuna is now in the hands of 
the Sri Lanka Army.  Wickremesinghe also requests 
Ambassador to help facilitate a U.S. visa for Moulana 
and his family.  Moulana has previously studied and 
worked in the U.S. and Mission supports his visa.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
2.  (C) KARUNA IN COLOMBO:  At the request of Opposition 
Leader Ranil Wickremesinghe, Ambassador met him on "an 
urgent matter" the evening June 23.  Wickremesinghe 
wanted to discuss recent news reports alleging that 
United National Party (UNP) MP Ali Moulana had 
facilitated transport to Colombo for breakaway rebel 
Liberation Tiger of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) leader Karuna. 
After an initial denial, Moulana admitted to him that he 
did arrange for Karuna to come to Colombo in early 
April, Wickremesinghe confirmed.  He added that he had 
first learned about the events only on the morning of 
June 23.  The papers are rife, however, with speculation 
that UNP leadership had been involved in the planning 
for Karuna's transfer. 
 
3.  (C) Wickremesinghe had few details about what 
actually transpired.  Moulana told him that Karuna came 
to Colombo from the east in a car or van, which had not 
been stopped at checkpoints enroute.  (It is unclear 
whether Moulana actually accompanied the rebel Tiger or 
not.)  According to Moulana, Karuna stayed in an 
apartment in Colombo (at the posh "Hilton Residence" 
where several Embassy staff live!) for several days 
before the "Sri Lankan Army came and took him." 
Wickremesinghe did not know Karuna's current 
whereabouts, but was sure he was in Army hands. 
 
4.  (C) CONCERN FOR MOULANA:  Wickremesinghe said that 
his real concern was for Moulana and his family, given 
the danger of LTTE retribution.  (Contacts said that 
Moulana's and Karuna's families have a long, close 
relationship.)  Moulana has resigned his seat in 
Parliament, and was planning to leave immediately for 
Saudi Arabia and then Singapore.  Wickremesinghe then 
said that Moulana would also like to get a visa to go to 
the U.S. and asked the Ambassador if he could help 
facilitate that effort. 
 
5.  (C) The Karuna/Moulana story is bizarre enough, but 
the Sri Lankan press  and the ruling SLFP  have tried 
to juice it up even more.  The government-controlled 
Daily News headlined the story, "Ranil(Wickremesinghe) 
Stands Naked," alleging that Moulana acted with 
Wickremesinghe's approval in an attempt to win the 
backing of four pro-Karuna TNA MPs.  The story went on 
that the resultant turmoil in the UNP would likely cause 
a split in the party and the replacement of 
Wickremesinghe by Deputy Leader Karu Jayasuriya. 
 
6.  (C) ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND ON MOULANA:  Seyed Ali 
Zahir Moulana, 47, is a UNP National List MP in the 
current Parliament.  He was a UNP MP from Batticaloa in 
the 1994 and 2000 governments, but lost in the 2001 
election.  He remained an adviser to then-PM 
Wickremesinghe in the interim.  Local accounts state 
that Moulana earned his B.S. degree in computer software 
at Bay Valley Technical College and later worked in 
Santa Cruz, California.  He is Muslim and his wife, who 
runs a school in Colombo, is Tamil. 
 
7.  (C) COMMENT:  Ranil was adament (and fairly 
convincing) in his statements to the Ambassador that he 
knew nothing about Moulana's involvement with Karuna. 
As for Karuna, the question of whether the SLA has him 
or not has been finally answered  they do.  On the visa 
issue, Mission has not found any evidence that Moulana 
has ever had a U.S. visa.  We see no reason to deny him 
a visa assuming there are no other ineligibilities.  We 
can deflect any negative comments that might arise, 
should Moulana receive a U.S. visa and it become public: 
he is eligible as a Sri Lankan citizen and there are no 
grounds to deny him.  END COMMENT. 
 
 
LUNSTEAD