US embassy cable - 04COLOMBO1973

UNCLAS COLOMBO 001973 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR INR/MR, 
SA/INS, SA/PD SSA/PAS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958:N/A 
TAGS: PREL, PHUM, PTER, OIIP, EAID, KPAO, CE, LTTE - Peace Process 
SUBJECT:  Batticaloa Generally Calm Despite Recent 
Incidents Nearby; Eastern and Southeastern Universities 
Tranquil But Longing for Assistance 
 
1. (U) SUMMARY:  A recent trip to the Eastern Sri Lankan 
cities of Batticaloa and Oluvil by PAO and CAO revealed 
them to be generally calm, despite previous shootings not 
far from Batticaloa and skirmishes in the more northern 
city of Trincomalee after the November 27 Heroes' Day 
speech.  Students at both Eastern University in Batticaloa 
and at South-Eastern University in Oluvil (a predominantly 
Muslim town) appeared more concerned about their exams and 
lack of resources than about current political tensions. 
End Summary. 
 
2.  (U) During a recent trip to visit Eastern University in 
Batticaloa and South-Eastern University in the small 
coastal town of Oluvil, PAO and CAO spoke with university 
officials, students, and a prominent advisor to the local 
Sri Lankan Monitoring Mission about the political situation 
in the East.  The previous weeks had witnessed a number of 
incidents, including politically motivated shootings, in 
the Batticaloa district, and the visit took place 
immediately following skirmishes in the northeastern port 
of Trincomalee after ceremonies marking the annual Tamil 
Tigers' Heroes' Day.  The city appeared generally calm, 
with LTTE Heroes' day banners and flags festooned at key 
intersections and temples. (Note: the trip ended before a 
series of violent incidents occurred in the Batticaloa area 
the week of December 6. End note).  Eastern university 
students were attending classes normally, and deans and 
faculty reported no unusual tension in the city, despite 
the continuing rift between former LTTE Eastern commander 
Karuna and Tiger chief Prabkharan. 
 
3.  (SBU) Emboffs also met in Batticaloa with Father 
Miller, a Jesuit priest resident in the town for 50 years 
and a prominent advisor to the local office of the Sri 
Lankan Monitoring Mission.  Miller asserted that most 
residents of the city were happy Karuna had split from 
Prabakharan in April, particularly merchants who were no 
longer paying the LTTE taxes.  He added that the LTTE had 
tried several times to re-open offices it once had on many 
street corners, but refrained from doing so when the local 
police refused to guarantee them protection from Karuna 
cadres.  Miller, who has had his own run-ins with the LTTE 
over collection of taxes on a coconut palm farm his order 
operates, felt support for Karuna remained quite strong in 
the region. Army checkpoints encountered while driving 
throughout the city appeared relatively lax. 
 
4.  (U) Southeastern University lies in the small, largely 
Muslim town of Oluvil, approximately a two-hour drive south 
of Batticaloa on narrow, pitted roads.  The 10 year-old 
university, set on a campus outside the main town, was 
placid the morning of emboffs' visit.  Post selected this 
university as the site of our second American Corner in Sri 
Lanka (after Kandy) in order to reach a segment of the 
population enjoying very little contact with Americans or 
American culture.  Many students were initially suspicious 
of USG intentions in setting up an American corner, but 
following our explanations of what it entailed they 
understood it to be simply a benign section of the library 
where students could find out more about the United States. 
The university administration fully backed the 
establishment of the corner. 
 
5. (U) COMMENT:  While sporadic violence continues in the 
Batticaloa district, no large-scale skirmishes such as 
occurred in Jaffna and Trincomalee recently have taken 
place, and the city seems relatively calm.  In the coming 
months, security permitting, post plans to program cultural 
events and visits more often in the East to keep in better 
touch with that poor, and sometimes neglected, part of the 
country.  End Comment. 
Lunstead