US embassy cable - 05COLOMBO1020

UNCLAS COLOMBO 001020 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPT FOR S/ES, INR/MR, PA 
SA/INS (CAMP, DEAN) SA/PD (SCENSNY, ROGERS, STRYKER); 
SSA/PAS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
E.O. 12958:N/A 
TAGS: KPAO, PTER, EAID, OIIP, PREL, CE, Political Parties 
SUBJECT:  Pro-JVP Media Minister Persuaded to Resign 
 
 
1. (SBU) Summary:  Aviation, Ports and Media Minister 
Mangala Samaraweera resigned from the media portfolio today 
amid speculation the President had asked him to do so due to 
his alleged favoritism towards the Janatha Vimukthi 
Peramuna(JVP), the government's Marxist/Sinhala nationalist 
junior alliance partner.  End summary. 
 
2. (SBU) A long time confidant of the President and former 
national organizer of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), 
Mangala Samaraweera returned to the Media Ministry when 
President Kumaratunga's alliance won re-election in April 
2004.  Although Samaraweera is an SLFP member, he 
sympathized with the JVP and, in fact, was instrumental in 
facilitating the alliance between the JVP and SLFP.  He 
allegedly favored pro-JVP media, and spoke out against the 
proposed Joint Mechanism with the LTTE to the Sunday 
Lankadeepa (Sinhala sister paper to the mainstream 
independent Daily Mirror).  In April, the President 
appointed Minister of Finance Sarath Amunagama to keep tabs 
on the Media Ministry and Samaraweera. Recently, the 
President tasked two current confidants, Harim Peiris, 
Director General of Relief, Rehabilitation and 
Reconstruction, and Eric Fernando, Director General of the 
Presidential Media Unit, to spearhead a campaign to educate 
the public about the virtues of the Joint Mechanism. 
According to a report in the Sunday Times, Peiris and 
Fernando, without informing Samaraweera, arranged to hold 
daily meetings with the President and Media Ministry 
Secretary W.B. Ganegala. 
 
SIPDIS 
3.  (SBU) Comment.  Speculation in media circles abounds 
that Samaraweera's resignation may be part of a larger 
cabinet reshuffle within the next few days as the 
President's final decision on the Joint Mechanism 
approaches.  She may have viewed Samaraweera, allegedly 
biased towards the JVP, as a liability in her efforts to 
convince the public of the necessity of signing the accord. 
End Comment. 
Lunstead