US embassy cable - 05COLOMBO395

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 000395 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR S/ES, INR/MR, PA 
SA/INS (CAMP, DEAN) SA/PD (SCENSNY, ROGERS, STRYKER); 
SSA/PAS 
 
E.O. 12958:N/A 
TAGS: PHUM, KPAO, EAID, PTER, OIIP, PREL, CE, Tsunami, External Relations 
SUBJECT:  Special Media Reaction:  Former Presidents 
Clinton and Bush Visit Sri Lanka 
 
1.  (U) Summary:  The visit of former Presidents Clinton 
and Bush to Sri Lanka February 20-21 elicited copious, 
straightforward media coverage, with all media outlets, 
print as well as electronic, featuring the visit 
prominently.  Editorial comment was largely positive as 
well, but a few outlets criticized the former Presidents 
for not visiting the north and east.  TV news programs ran 
extensive footage of their tour, while the newspapers 
generally printed flattering photos of the two on their 
front pages. The widespread coverage served to reinforce 
the public's favorable perception of high-level USG 
interest in tsunami relief and reconstruction. End summary. 
 
2.  (U) Sri Lankan print media uniformly praised the visit 
of the former Presidents in the English as well as Sinhala 
and Tamil newspapers.  During their visit to Sri Lanka, the 
two former Presidents met with President Kumaratunga on 
Feb. 20, then visited USAID -sponsored assistance sites in 
Matara and Galle Districts in the south, including a water 
pump project, temporary shelter, and psychological and 
social counseling for tsunami-affected children.  All 
papers used front-page, full-color photos of Clinton and 
Bush in their coverage, featuring scenes of the two meeting 
with Sri Lankan officials and at USAID-sponsored relief 
sites.  Articles were uniformly accompanied with photos of 
Clinton and Bush interacting with children at USAID project 
sites, and served to highlight the childrens' plight and 
point up American concern for their long-term recovery. 
Government owned Sinhala daily Dinamina February 22 led 
with "Aid used effectively: former U.S. presidents express 
satisfaction." Independent English Daily Mirror February 22 
headlined:  "Work with LTTE, U.S. tells govt." Independent 
Tamil daily Thinakkural of February 21 led with:  "If you 
want to help Sri Lanka, come and see the situation 
yourselves - Bush and Clinton inform the international 
community."  Independent Tamil-language daily Virakesari 
bannered February 21: "Warm welcome to Bush and Clinton - 
will visit the affected areas in the south today," and 
accompanied the article with a front-page photo of the two 
greeting President Kumaratunga.  The only negative 
reportage came from Virakesari, on February 22, which 
headlined: "We are worried that Clinton and Bush won't tour 
North East - TNA" in which Tamil National Alliance MP 
Adaikkalanathan noted that Tamils were worried that the 
former Presidents did not visit the North and the East. 
 
 
3.  (U) Editorial comment was largely positive, with 
government-owned Daily News noting on February 22: 
"Highest point in U.S. - Lanka relations":  "...The 
Americans have shown that they are warm and caring. The 
world's biggest superpower has come running to our aid 
along with several other nations, such as our immediate 
neighbours. The Americans with their own hands cleared the 
rubble, built new homes and gave us a spirit of optimism 
getting us out of the paralytic depression caused by the 
tsunami."  The Daily News also mentioned USAID favorably 
 
SIPDIS 
several times during the course of the article.  Under the 
header "Welcome, Presidents Bush and Clinton," the state- 
run Sunday Observer of February 20 commented:  "...The 
United States was one of the first countries to respond 
with relief - men and material. U.S. volunteers were 
particularly effective in swift clearing of debris and in 
providing temporary shelters to many victims... A word of 
thanks must also go to hundreds and thousands of US 
citizens who volunteered to collect and send relief items 
from the moment they heard of the tragedy... We have no 
doubt the visit of the two former US Presidents would give 
a new impetus to the relief and rehabilitation effort and 
galvanise the private sector in the US for speedier 
assistance in the reconstruction phase that has already 
begun..." 
 
4.  (U) Taking a slightly more introspective tone, the 
independent English daily Island commented in its February 
22 editorial:  "Welcome the Yanks but..." 
"All Sri Lankans very warmly welcomed the two former 
American Presidents George Bush and Bill Clinton who were 
here in our hour of need. The two presidents saw for 
themselves the ravages caused by the biggest ever natural 
disaster in recent history... The United States has been a 
true friend of this country and has stood by us during the 
last 20 years during which this country that was known as a 
paradise turned into the 'killing fields of South Asia'. 
Sri Lanka on its part has continued to back US foreign 
policy such as in its battle against global terrorism. The 
visit by the two former presidents should be used to 
further strengthen US- Sri Lankan ties." 
 
5.  (U) Electronic media also played up the tour, with 
television stations offering generous coverage of all 
portions of the visit.  State-run broadcaster Rupavahini, 
in addition to making the February 20 arrival their top 
story on their afternoon and evening news broadcasts, ran 
nearly seven minutes of the two-ex-Presidents' Feb. 21 
visit to an aid site in the southern distinct of Matara, 
repeating the segment several times throughout the day. 
Independent Maharaja Television Network and Swarnavahini 
also broadcast widespread, positive coverage throughout the 
weekend in all three languages.  In addition, pro-Tiger 
website TamilNet noted on Feb 22:  "Clinton expresses hope 
on joint mechanism for Tsunami reconstruction," and covered 
the visit without editorializing or comment. 
 
6.  (U) The only (slightly) dissenting note in the largely 
positive coverage came from independent Tamil daily 
Thinakkural in its February 22 op-ed, in which it said: 
"Former U.S. Presidents Bill Clinton and George Bush (Snr.) 
arrived in Sri Lanka to tour the tsunami affected areas but 
did not visit the North and the East that were mostly 
affected... We are unsure who was responsible for this 
historical mistake, whether the Sri Lankan government or 
the U.S. embassy in Colombo...  America has not come of age 
pertaining to diplomacy and that was evident when they had 
one of the summits of the donor countries in America 
without inviting the LTTE...  Their failure to visit the 
north and east cannot be reasoned out." 
 
7. (U) Comment:  Local media coverage of the visit by 
former Presidents Bush and Clinton to Sri Lanka showcased 
the attention of the USG towards tsunami-affected 
countries, and was positively received by the Sri Lankan 
public.  The few dissenting voices from the Tamil media 
noting that the North and East seemed to have been 
neglected have been present since the tsunami struck, and 
paled next to the broadly positive attention the visit 
received. The two ex-Presidents were a hit here, and our 
favorable ratings in public opinion were undoubtedly 
reinforced.  End Comment. 
 
Lunstead