US embassy cable - 04COLOMBO1913

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 001913 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SA, SA/INS 
NSC FOR DORMANDY 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/26/2014 
TAGS: PGOV, PTER, CE, LTTE - Peace Process 
SUBJECT: SRI LANKA:  TENSIONS CONTINUE TO RISE AS LTTE 
HEROES' DAY APPROACHES 
 
REF: COLOMBO 1897 AND PREVIOUS 
 
Classified By: James F. Entwistle, Deputy Chief of Mission.  1.4 (b,d) 
 
1.  (C) Summary:  Tensions continue to flare in the north and 
east as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) plan to 
celebrate their annual November 26-27 Heroes' Day. 
Throughout the two regions, interlocutors report that Sri 
Lanka army and civilians have clashed in attempts to disrupt 
preparations for the upcoming remembrance.  With the 
Government closed for the Buddhist Full Moon ("Poya") holiday 
November 26, military officials have been unavailable for 
reaction.  The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission reports, however, 
that everything is quiet at the present and they are in 
contact with both parties in the areas touched by clashes and 
unrest.  While conflicts between the army and civilians occur 
from time to time, the build-up to Tiger leader Prabhakaran's 
annual policy speech is provoking even greater tension than 
usual.  End Summary. 
 
2.  (SBU) Tensions continue to rise in the north and east as 
the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) preparations for 
its November 26-27 Hero's Day commemorations provoke Sri 
Lankan army officials.  There have been the following 
incidents, according to the pro-LTTE website, "TamilNet," and 
other contacts: 
-- The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) allegedly injured approximately 
17 civilians in the northwest coastal town of Mannar during 
an attempt to destroy decorations for the upcoming Hero's Day 
celebrations; 
-- The Army also injured civilians in attempts to prevent 
them from raising the LTTE flag in the northcentral town of 
Vavuniya and the eastern town of Batticaloa.  (Note:  It is 
against the ceasefire agreement (CFA) for the LTTE flag to be 
raised in government-controlled areas); 
-- In the northern town of Jaffna, SLA and civilians also 
clashed during efforts to raise the LTTE flag.  The situation 
returned to normal when the police took control of the area 
(Note:  Under the CFA, the army is not allowed to engage in 
general enforcement of law and order.); and 
-- The Governor-General's meeting scheduled for November 
26-27 in Trincomalee was canceled when the Tamil Secretary to 
the North and East Governor was reportedly "detained" by the 
LTTE. 
 
3.  (C) In response to these events, LTTE political leader 
S.P. Thamilchelvan addressed a letter to Sri Lanka Monitoring 
Mission (SLMM) Head Furuhovde complaining about the Mannar 
and Vavuniya incidents, noting these tense situations may 
"create a totally undesirable confrontational position." 
Gajen Ponnambalam, a Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP from 
Jaffna, told POL FSN that SLA actions were a "systematic" 
attempt to disrupt the LTTE's functions.  Not all areas 
preparing to celebrate Heroes' Day have been marred by 
unrest, however.  Another TNA MP, Joseph Pararajasingham, 
told POL FSN on November 26 that police and SLA are 
cooperating and not interfering in LTTE functions in the 
general Batticaloa district. 
 
4.  (SBU) The Government of Sri Lanka is closed November 26 
for the Buddhist Full Moon ("Poya") Day.  Military officials 
have been unavailable for reaction to the incidents and LTTE 
comments about the SLA's intentions. 
 
5.  (C) In a November 26 conversation with polchief, SLMM 
spokesman Oskar Solnes confirmed many of the above incidents 
but noted that all the areas were quiet at present.  He said 
that the SLMM brokered an agreement between the SLA and 
civilians in Mannar, allowing for the LTTE flag to be raised 
for part of the day on November 26.  He further expected 
similar discussions to take place in Vavuniya later on 
November 25, noting that shooting from an unidentified source 
the night of November 26 had injured one person.  Despite 
many complaints from the Army of LTTE flag raising in Jaffna, 
Solnes stated that the SLA had shown "great restraint" in 
response to the alleged violations.  Lastly, he said that 
"LTTE influence" had been "instrumental" in the cancellation 
of the conference in Trincomalee.  He confirmed that a Tamil 
civil servant was with the LTTE, but declined to describe him 
as "kidnapped."  Although Trincomalee was quiet as of late 
morning November 26, Solnes said he expected tensions to rise 
if the Sinhalese nationalists Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) 
followed through on a threat, publicized in local media, to 
protest the SLMM's failure to stop the LTTE from violating 
the CFA. 
 
6.  (C) Comment:  While conflicts between the army and 
civilians occur from time to time, many citizens are tense in 
the buildup to Tiger leader Prabhakaran's annual policy 
speech.  Given the lack of progress in returning to the 
negotiating table, many Sri Lankans are wondering whether the 
tenor of Prabhakaran's speech will be confrontational or 
conciliatory.  If the latest clashes are any indication, it 
appears that Prabhakaran will likely take the harder line in 
his speech.  End Comment. 
 
LUNSTEAD