US embassy cable - 05COLOMBO314

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 000314 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR S/ES, INR/MR, PA 
SA/INS (CAMP, DEAN) SA/PD (SCENSNY, ROGERS, STRYKER); 
SSA/PAS 
 
E.O. 12958: 02/09/15 
TAGS: PHUM, KPAO, PTER, EAID, OIIP, PREL, CE, LTTE - Peace Process, Political Parties 
SUBJECT:  FROM COMITY TO CALUMNY: SRI LANKAN POLITICAL 
PARTIES BACK TO TRADING ACCUSATIONS IN THE MEDIA 
 
 
Classified by: James F. Entwistle, Deputy Chief of Mission 
for reasons 1.4, (b,d) 
 
1. (C) Summary:  Six weeks after the tsunami that 
devastated the coasts of Sri Lanka, the main political 
parties have fallen back into their previous pattern of 
exchanging accusations and denunciations in the media. 
This return to fractiousness has dissolved the relative 
comity that prevailed immediately following the tsunami, 
when both the ruling and opposition parties, as well as the 
LTTE, used the media to call for unity and cooperation in 
the emergency relief effort.  Whether this sniping indicates 
a return to "politics as usual," or simply reflects the 
tensions that have inevitably arisen in the face of the 
enormous reconstruction task, remains to be seen. 
End summary. 
 
============================ 
Media mudslinging re-emerges 
============================ 
 
2.  (C) Six weeks from the tsunami, Sri Lanka's main 
political parties - following a two-week hiatus immediately 
after the disaster -- have once again turned to the media 
to trade accusations and snipe at each other.  In just the 
latest example of such infighting, the government-owned 
Daily News led February 8 with two front-page articles 
critical of the opposition United National Party (UNP). 
The first ran a headline quoting an obscure local UNP 
politician saying that "80 percent of UNP'ers not with 
leader," referring to former Prime Minister Ranil 
Wickremesinghe.  The second story detailed a laundry list 
of criticisms against the UNP by pro-United People's 
Freedom Alliance (UPFA) academics under the header 
"Academics criticize UNP's 15 point National Policy." 
The article described the UNP's reconstruction plan as 
a "fairy tale composed to lure the masses." 
 
3.  (C) Another recent example was the exchange of charges 
published in the pro-government Daily News and the pro-UNP 
Daily Mirror over Wickremesinghe's recent visit to Europe. 
The Daily News fired the first salvo February 2 in a front- 
page article entitled: "Betrayal - Ranil in Norway in 
attempt to prevent disaster aid to Lanka."   The story 
alleged that the former PM had traveled to Norway in a bid 
to stop disaster assistance from reaching Sri Lanka, 
ostensibly to gain political mileage and force the GSL to 
agree to the LTTE's interim aid mechanism. 
 
4.  (U) The UNP countered on February 4 in the independent 
Daily Mirror with: "Meetings meaningless if state media 
continue abuses: UNP."  The article recapped an official 
letter to the President by UNP deputy leader Karu 
Jayasuriya in which he described the Daily News piece as 
"baseless and mischievous" and dismissed the allegations as 
"fanciful assertions."  The Daily News' riposte arrived in 
a front-page article February 4 quoting Media Minister 
Mangala Samaweera rebuking the UNP as "provoking the masses 
through several media institutions partial to them." 
 
5.  (C) The government-owned Sunday Observer of February 6 
kept up the pressure on the UNP over the weekend with an 
op-ed entitled "UNP in Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde role," as 
well as an inside article on Wickremesinghe's Norway visit 
in which prominent Buddhist leaders described the alleged 
double-dealing of the UNP as "a national betrayal," a 
"childish and opportunist act," and a "despicable act of 
betrayal for political gain."  The state-run media 
continued their offensive against the UNP on February 7 
with a front-page article titled:  "Ranil's Brussels 
statement misleading."  The piece reproduced a GSL media 
release concerning duty free concessions, stating, in part: 
"It is regrettable that Mr. Ranil Wickremesinghe should 
think it fit to take credit for an initiative in which he 
played no part."  On February 9 the independent Daily 
Mirror highlighted tensions between the Marxist-oriented 
Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) and President Kumaratunga's 
Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP) over what the JVP said was a 
lack of consultation on tsunami relief, with the JVP 
refusing to participate in Parliamentary debate today on 
that issue. 
 
6. (C) In another example of the recent acrimony, the JVP 
has used the media to criticize their coalition partner 
President Kumaratunga. For instance, on February 1 the 
Mirror headlined:  "UNP offers support if JVP pulls out," 
and subheaded:  "JVP fires tough letter to CBK (Chandrika 
Bandaranaike Kumaratunga)." That same day, the independent 
Island subheaded "JVP wants CBK to stop questionable aid 
inflow."  The Tamil media has also weighed in with 
criticisms of late - On February 7, independent Tamil daily 
Thinakkural reported:  "The President should throw away the 
JVP and come forward to work with the UNP - TNA MP Raviraj." 
The same day, pro-LTTE Tamil daily Sudar Oli: "The government 
is on a different stand regarding the common mechanism on 
relief and rebuilding and wasting time with useless proposals 
- LTTE," quoting Tiger political chief S.P. Thamilchelvam. 
======================= 
Public calls for unity 
======================= 
 
7.  (C) The current return to political sniping in the 
media contrasts with the period immediately following the 
tsunami, when the Sri Lankan media carried repeated public 
 
SIPDIS 
calls by the government, the opposition, and the Liberation 
Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to come together for the common 
good of the country.  Photos of President Kumaratunga 
together with Wickremesinghe featured prominently in the 
state-run media during this time, as did photos of the 
President shaking the hands of two female Tiger cadres at 
a rehabilitation center in the east.  The government-owned 
Sinhala daily Dinamina bannered on December 30: " A time we 
should forget differences and act in unison-President 
Kumaratunga" as well as "UNP will cooperate in rehabilitating 
the disaster victims." Independent Sinhala daily Divaina of 
the same day led with: "The Sinhalese, Tamils or Muslims 
cannot stand alone after this disaster- President Kumaratunga." 
During this period, the LTTE also weighed in, with Tiger 
political leader S.P. Thamilchelvam stating in independent 
Tamil daily Thinakkural December 31:  "Tigers are ready to join 
with the government to wipe out the distress of the people." 
 
8.  (C) Editorial comment during this period also 
emphasized the (apparent) political harmony: under the 
header "Natural disasters and political divisions" 
Thinakkural, on January 3,stressed the need for GSL-LTTE 
cooperation in aid efforts, as did Divaina of the same day, 
headlining "North and East:  hands of friendship extended." 
The state-run Daily News commented on January 6: 
"Selflessness - a crying need" in which it called for 
politicians to "set aside their differences in light of the 
crying need of the country." 
 
9. (C) Comment:  In the days following the tsunami, many 
pundits and analysts of Sri Lankan politics wondered if the 
tragedy might display a silver lining in the rapprochement 
of formerly feuding political parties and cooperation 
between the government and the LTTE.  While there has been 
some cooperation in relief efforts between the latter two, 
particularly on the local level, the increasing appearance 
of sometimes strident criticism in the media among all 
political actors does not lend much hope for any further 
cooperation in tsunami recovery.  End Comment. 
 
Lunstead