US embassy cable - 04COLOMBO1432

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 001432 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SA/INS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/26/2014 
TAGS: PTER, PGOV, ASEC, CE, LTTE - Peace Process 
SUBJECT: SRI LANKA:  GOVERNMENT TALKS TOUGH ABOUT RECENT 
KILLINGS 
 
REF: A. USDAO COLOMBO IIR 6 816 0108 04 
 
     B. COLOMBO 1390 
     C. COLOMBO 1362 
 
Classified By: CDA JAMES F. ENTWISTLE.  REASON:  1.4 (B,D). 
 
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MORE VIOLENCE . . . 
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1.  (U)  The week of August 20-27 saw a continuation of the 
violence between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) 
and its opponents cited in Ref B.  On August 20 two 
senior-ranking Tigers were shot and killed by unidentified 
assailants as they left a meeting in Batticaloa.  The 
proximity of the incident to an army post raised Tiger 
suspicions of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) involvement.  The Tigers 
reportedly enforced a mandatory day of mourning, closing 
shops and businesses, in Tamil sections in the East on August 
22.  On August 23 suspected LTTE cadres, in apparent 
retaliation for the August 22 killings, fired on an SLA 
patrol in Batticaloa, injuring a soldier.  On the same day in 
Colombo suspected LTTE militants killed a former 
Tiger-turned-SLA informant.  On August 24 suspected LTTE 
assassins shot and killed a former supporter of breakaway 
LTTE leader Karuna as he was being brought by authorities 
into a courtroom in Ampara. 
 
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BUT ANY MORE THAN USUAL? 
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2.  (U)  Reports of these incidents--and the Government of 
Sri Lanka's (GSL) saber-rattling rhetorical responses to 
them--were featured prominently throughout the week in the 
English and vernacular media.  The English press trumpeted 
alarmist headlines like "Defend if necessary:  Army Chief" 
and "Don't push us to war:  (Acting Defense Minister) 
Ratnasiri"; "Stop killings or else, Ratnasiri tells LTTE." 
All major dailies carried extensive coverage of Acting 
Defense Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake blasting the 
Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) as "one-sided" before an audience 
of SLA soldiers in the north on August 23.  Two days later, 
local papers were quoting Wickremanayake as warning the LTTE 
that "there is a limit to our patience" in an address at Navy 
Headquarters.  Coverage of Wickremanayake's stern message ran 
below front-page color photos of Prime Minister Mahinda 
Rajapakse inspecting SLA bunkers in the Eastern Province. 
 
3.  (C)  Despite the media fanfare, some interlocutors 
contend that there are no more violations against GSL forces 
than usual.  The Brigade Commander in Trincomalee told DATT 
on August 26 that the rate of LTTE violations against his 
forces remains at about the same level (Ref A).  (Note:  LTTE 
violations against other opponents, such as Karuna 
supporters, on the other hand, have increased.  End note.) 
Per Christer Larsen of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission 
(SLMM) confirmed that the rate of reported incidents between 
LTTE and GSL security forces seemed no higher than usual.  He 
added that the Karuna rift--and the LTTE's subsequent and 
systematic efforts to squelch his followers in the east--has 
fueled a spurt of Tamil-on-Tamil violence, and thus perhaps 
to a greater public perception that the Ceasefire Agreement 
is in jeopardy. 
 
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MONITORS MOVE FOR MEETING 
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4.  (SBU) In an effort to quell continued violence (and 
perhaps to bolster public confidence in the Ceasefire 
Agreement), the SLMM plans to hold separate meetings soon 
with the SLA and LTTE to resolve several outstanding points 
of contention, Larsen confirmed.  As a first step, SLMM head 
Trond Furhovde met separately with Defense Secretary Cyril 
Herath in Colombo on August 25 and with LTTE political wing 
leader Thamilchelvan in Kilinochchi on August 25. 
 
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COMMENT 
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5.  (C) LTTE efforts to re-assert its dominance in the east 
continue to spread violence and fear throughout the region 
(Ref B).  The majority of the LTTE's recent attacks, however, 
have been aimed at opponents within the Tamil community 
(former Karuna supporters, former cadres-turned-informants), 
rather than at GSL security forces and facilities.  With 
President and Defense Minister Chandrika Kumaratunga out of 
the country, Acting Defense Minister Wickremanayake seems to 
be indulging his well-known penchant for bluster with even 
less restraint than usual.  As noted Ref A, the GSL is in no 
position--either financially, logistically or politically--to 
unsheath the sabers it has been rattling so fiercely over the 
past week.  That said, the steady drumbeat of media coverage, 
coupled with the rhetorical broadsides launched by both the 
GSL and the LTTE, contribute to a public perception of 
escalating hostilities and an ever-more fragile Ceasefire 
Agreement (CFA).  This is a dangerous game, especially for 
the GSL, which cannot afford diminished popular support for 
the CFA.  The SLMM hopefully will move quickly to bring the 
two sides together for talks before the rhetoric gives way to 
even greater violence.  It is also important to note that the 
trend cited by the EU delegation to LTTE political chief 
Thamilchelvan last week (Ref C) of all killings being carried 
out by "headquarters" LTTE has now been (slightly) reversed 
with the August 20 slayings of the two senior LTTE officials, 
presumably by Karuna supporters. 
ENTWISTLE