US embassy cable - 04COLOMBO1124

C O N F I D E N T I A L COLOMBO 001124 
 
SIPDIS 
 
OFFICIAL INFORMAL 
 
FOR SA/INS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/07/2014 
TAGS: AMGT, CE, MV, Maldives 
SUBJECT: OFFICIAL INFORMAL NUMBER 089 (07/07/04) 
 
 
Classified By: Ambassador Jeffrey J. Lunstead for reasons 1.5 d and g. 
 
 Contents:  Suicide Bombing 
               Personnel 
               Public Security Secretary 
               Maldives Democracy Assistance 
               Guantanamo Detainee 
               Colombo Plan 
 
SUICIDE BOMBING 
--------------- 
 
1. (C) You will see several cables about this.  We see it as 
a clear warning to the GLS from the LTTE to rein in the 
Karuna forces in the East or else face retaliation.  The 
situation for Americans is the familiar one: it was not 
directed at us and the risk is in being in the wrong place at 
the wrong time. 
 
PERSONNEL 
--------- 
 
2. (U) We have truly entered the summer transfer/R and R 
season, with a suddenly depleted staff. Joe Novak is gone, 
Jim Entwistle, Rich Girven and Teresa Manlowe on R and R, 
with others soon to follow. Consular will have just one 
officer for most of the (busy) summer.  We are prioritizing 
issues now as they come up. 
 
3.  (U) Speaking of personnel shortages, we assume there is 
still no replacement for Jim Waller, who we believe is in his 
last--or is it next-to-last--week. Is that correct and, if 
so, how will our issues be handled over the summer and beyond. 
 
PUBLIC SECURITY SECRETARY 
------------------------- 
 
4.  (U) We understand that Mr. Ranaviraja, Secretary in the 
Ministry of Public Security, and also head of the Central 
Environment Agency, is now or will shortly be in DC beginning 
his program arranged by the Sri Lankan Embassy.  Ranaviraja 
is a friendly and important contact. Can you tell us whom he 
is meeting? 
 
MALDIVES DEMOCRACY 
------------------ 
 
5. (U) Ambassador received an e-mail this week from the 
Maldives Attorney General Hassan Saeed, a young and eager 
reformer. Saeed asked if we could get NDI to help in Maldives 
democratization process. We will be sending in something on 
this front channel.  It seems that AID program money here 
cannot be spent on Maldives. We need to look for some pot of 
money that could help us make a big difference there. 
 
GUANTANAMO DETAINEE 
------------------- 
 
6. (C) And speaking of Maldives, we notice some 
contradictions between the material prepared by DOD for the 
Secretary on the Maldivian detainee and earlier assessments, 
 
SIPDIS 
specifically on the degree of his cooperation and what threat 
he might pose. We will send a front channel on this shortly. 
Given the Secretary's visit, we need to find a way to move 
forward on this. 
 
COLOMBO PLAN 
------------ 
 
7.  (C) We sent in our responses to IO's latest by email from 
Andrea Tomaszewicz on June 21.  The next Colombo Plan meeting 
is July 21. It would be good to have something useful to say 
by then. We are struck in IO's memo by the fact that INL does 
not seem to understand the situation. If there is no 
effective way to get people to pay their dues (and a 
suspension of voting rights will nto be effective), then INL 
will not be able to run any programs, because the Secretariat 
will not have funds to provide the administrative support. We 
would suggest working on INL to get them on our side. 
 
 
 
LUNSTEAD