US embassy cable - 04COLOMBO2014

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 COLOMBO 002014 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SA, SA/INS 
NSC FOR DORMANDY 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/17/2014 
TAGS: PGOV, PREL, KIRF, KWMN, CE, Political Parties, Religious Freedom 
SUBJECT: SRI LANKA:  LOCAL GOVERNANCE THE PRIORITY IN 
CULTURAL CAPITAL OF KANDY 
 
REF: COLOMBO 1997 
 
Classified By: James F. Entwistle, Deputy Chief of Mission.  1.4 (b,d) 
 
1.  (C) Summary:  During a December 14-15 visit to Kandy, Sri 
Lanka's cultural and Buddhist capital, emboffs found 
interlocutors focused on local governance and dedicated to 
addressing the needs of the communities in the Central 
Province.  Elected officials spoke about working together 
with their political rivals, as well as the challenges of 
governing with their Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) 
colleagues.  Christian contacts discussed religious tensions 
in the region, while elected officials stated that depressed 
living conditions in certain communities provided a reason 
for Christian groups to operate.  Separately, local officials 
with the International Organization for Migration reported on 
their new awareness campaigns among local communities on 
trafficking issues.  End Summary. 
 
Kandy:  a refreshing outstation oasis 
------------------------------------- 
 
2.  (SBU) During a December 14-15 trip to Kandy, poloff and 
POL FSN met with a variety of government and civil society 
interlocutors in Sri Lanka's upcountry cultural capital. 
Nestled in the mountains on the northern edge of Sri Lanka's 
tea growing region, Kandy was bustling with local residents 
and a regular stream of tourists.  Despite the town being the 
heart of Sri Lankan Buddhism -- with its world-renowned 
Temple of the Tooth and seats of two major Buddhist sects -- 
several store fronts and hotels were decorated for the 
Christmas season.  With Sinhala, Tamil, and Muslim 
populations, the Central Province -- with Kandy as its 
capital -- is a microcosm of Sri Lanka in some ways, but 
enjoys relative ethnic harmony.  Interlocutors of varied 
political persuasions discussed the differences with their 
political opponents but also the ways in which they worked 
together. 
 
Muted politics at the local level 
--------------------------------- 
 
3.  (C) Compared with southern Sri Lanka, where 
identification with political parties seems more pronounced, 
interlocutors in Kandy said that political differences in 
their province were more muted.  Sarath Ekanayake, Chief 
Minister of the Central Province and a member of the Sri 
Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), described himself as a "Sinhala 
Buddhist," but underscored to poloff that he focused on 
addressing the issues of all Sri Lankans within the region. 
Making similar comments, D. Mathi Yugarajah, Chairman of the 
provincial council and member of the Tamil Ceylon Workers 
Congress (CWC), felt that elected officials were working well 
together.  Both men recognized the paucity of resources that 
had traditionally been directed at the Tamil estate workers 
-- one of the poorest segments of Sri Lanka society -- and 
asserted that education was the key to developing this 
population. 
 
4.  (C) Dependent on the national government in Colombo for 
fiscal resources, the elected officials admitted that 
resources were never sufficient but said they were trying to 
allocate funds for the best use.  (Note:  This is in contrast 
to elected officials from the South, who had spent much of 
their time early this year complaining to poloff about their 
lack of sufficient funds.  It should be noted, however, that 
poloff's attempts to meet several officials from the main 
opposition United National Party -- who might not speak so 
glowingly about political harmony in Kandy -- were 
unsuccessful.  End Note.)  Ekanayake spoke about plans to 
develop the local information technology infrastructure to 
create more education and employment opportunities for local 
residents. 
 
5.  (C) In addition to provincial government officials, 
emboffs also met with Venerable Udawatte Nanda Thero, a monk 
MP with the Buddhist extremist Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) 
party.  A long-time government servant, Venerable Nanda Thero 
had been an elected member of the local Kandy municipal 
council for over a decade before being elected to Parliament 
in the April 2004 election.  He, too, spoke about his efforts 
to minister to the people of his district and was 
particularly proud that he was the highest JHU vote-getter in 
the entire Central Province in the April parliamentary 
elections.  Venerable Nanda Thero said he was dedicated to 
preserving the rights of Sinhalese Buddhists for future 
generations -- see more below. 
 
Governing with the JVP 
---------------------- 
 
6.  (C) Both Ekanayake and Mathi Yugarajah spoke about their 
experiences working with the government's main coalition 
partner, the jingoistic Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP).  In 
the 58-member provincial council, elected in July 2004, the 
United People's Freedom Alliance (UFPA) holds 30 seats, 
including 9 JVP members.  Ekanayake said that although the 
JVP had run -- and won -- the seats under the UPFA ticket, 
the party members did not always support the government's 
positions.  He indicated that they questioned the reasoning 
behind every decision, including traditional social events 
that the council annually hosted.  Ekanayake said he found 
the JVP very certain of its own politics, but naive regarding 
the wider, more diverse political arena. 
 
7.  (C) Mathi Yugarajah also agreed that the JVP was a 
"top-down" party with provincial council members taking 
direction -- and stating positions -- directly from its 
politburo in Colombo.  (Note:  Mission has directly 
experienced this "top-down" leadership and poloff generally 
has to submit any meeting request to the JVP leadership in 
Colombo.  Apparently the JVP MP from Kandy did not receive 
permission to meet with us, as he had to "go out of town" 
just moments before our scheduled meeting.  End Note.)  The 
Council Chairman also noted that when JVP members introduce a 
proposal to the council, their colleagues present the same 
proposal in all the other councils.  (JVP members hold seats 
on all eight elected provincial councils in Sri Lanka.)  Both 
men said their JVP colleagues rarely strayed from their 
position, even if in the minority, and made little attempt to 
compromise within the council. 
 
Religious tensions in the cultural capital of Buddhism 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
 
8.  (C) Similar to other regions in Sri Lanka, Kandy and the 
Central Province have their share of religions tensions. 
Local Christian pastors described to poloff the harassment 
that they and their congregation face from Buddhists in their 
communities, adding that police were often uncooperative or 
slow to act.  Council Chair Mathi Yugarajah recognized the 
positive social work that Christian organizations performed 
in predominantly Buddhist rural communities, but said that 
these communities' isolation made them susceptible to less 
genuine (i.e., proselytizing) influences.  "There are so many 
poor Christian communities," he said; "why don't these 
Christian groups use their resources to alleviate the 
conditions there?"  Surprisingly, Venerable Nanda Thero did 
not reiterate the familiar extremist rhetoric of his party, 
but also felt that fundamentalist-type Christian groups take 
advantage of Buddhists living in poor socioeconomic 
conditions. 
 
9.  (C) Emboffs also met with the Most Venerable Mahanayake 
Thero, the head of the Asgiriya sect of Buddhism and one of 
the leading Buddhist clerics in Sri Lanka.  In a reassuring 
discussion -- translated by POL FSN -- the Mahanayake of the 
Asgiriya chapter expressed concern about "fundamentalist" 
actions of some Christian groups, but said he was convinced 
that the issue should be addressed through inter-religious 
dialogue and not by legislation.  He noted a recent meeting 
among the Catholic Archbishop, the Mahanayake of the Malwatte 
sect (the other leading Sri Lanka Buddhist cleric), and 
himself.  (Note:  The Mahanayake of the Asgiriya chapter's 
sincerity towards religious tolerance was underscored when, 
during the meeting, another monk's cell phone went off with a 
cheery "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" ringtone.) 
 
Local efforts to address trafficking issues 
------------------------------------------- 
 
10.  (C) Emboffs visited the International Organization for 
Migration (IOM) regional office in Kandy, established in July 
2004.  Staff Assistant Jezina Yaheya described the ongoing 
outreach and awareness activities carried out by the office. 
Yaheya said the first priority had been to engage local 
police officials, who were receptive to IOM's efforts to 
educate them further about trafficking issues.  She and the 
local project officer had also begun awareness campaigns 
among estate sector workers, educating them about foreign 
employment agencies specifically.  Yaheya said that during 
one visit, several women complained that an employment agency 
had taken their passports and money, promising jobs in the 
Middle East and had disappeared.  Under direction from IOM, 
the workers filed a complaint with the police, who managed to 
locate the bogus agency officials and retrieve most of the 
passports.  IOM officials plan on continuing outreach and 
awareness efforts for the present, as well as building an 
information network and capacity with local non-governmental 
organizations. 
Comment 
------- 
 
11.  (C) As the cultural and Buddhist capital of Sri Lanka, 
Kandy provided a refreshing political and climatic change 
from Colombo.  Interlocutors seemed focused on addressing 
local issues and working for their constituencies, without 
being caught up in the personality-riven national politics 
that dominate discussions in Colombo.  Kandy is not without 
its problems, as officials try hard to represent all ethnic 
and religious communities.  Officials are also focused on 
significant development requirements of the mainly Tamil 
communities in the estate sector.  Forward progress in the 
government's ongoing peace process with Liberation Tigers of 
Tamil Eelam can only help in bringing more development and 
harmony to this upcountry region.  Should southern Sinhalese 
politics cause the government to implode, however, the 
resulting political turmoil -- not to mention any potential 
national election -- will disrupt and impede the governance 
efforts at the local level.  End Comment. 
 
LUNSTEAD