US embassy cable - 05COLOMBO1053

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 COLOMBO 001053 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/14/2015 
TAGS: PTER, PGOV, PHUM, PREL, KIRF, CE, Political Parties, LTTE - Peace Process 
SUBJECT: SRI LANKA: STALEMATE OVER STATUE IN TRINCOMALEE 
CONTINUES 
 
REF: A. COLOMBO 955 
     B. COLOMBO 1039 
 
Classified By: CDA:JENTWISTLE.  REASON:  1.4 (B,D). 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1.    (SBU) Summary:  During a June 8-10 visit to the eastern 
district of Trincomalee, poloff and POL FSN conducted a 
series of discussions with government officials, religious 
leaders, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and human 
rights activists.  While somewhat muted and at times 
overshadowed by issues of tsunami relief distribution and the 
continued debate about the joint mechanism (septel), 
religious and ethnic tension remains high as the standoff 
over the controversial Buddha statue (Ref A) continues. The 
Tamil People's Organization, a front for the Liberation 
Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), announced June 2 that it will 
give the Government until June 15 to remove the statue or 
face civil unrest.  END SUMMARY. 
 
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TRAVEL TO TRINCOMALEE 
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2.    (SBU) Poloff and POL FSN conducted a series of meetings 
from June 8-10 in Trincomalee with government officials, 
religious leaders, NGOs, and human rights groups. 
Discussions touched on a wide variety of topics, including 
the current security situation and tensions arising from the 
placement of the Buddha statue on public grounds (Ref A); 
relief efforts for those displaced by the December 26 
tsunami; the longstanding conflict between the Government of 
 
SIPDIS 
Sri Lanka (GSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam 
(LTTE); and the overall human rights and religious freedom 
situation in the district. 
 
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STANDOFF OVER STATUE 
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3.    (SBU) Religious and ethnic tension remains high in 
Trincomalee as the standoff over the controversial Buddha 
statue continues.  The May 18 decision by a local judge 
ordering the removal of the statue, and the subsequent May 25 
reaffirmation of the judge's order had not been implemented. 
Hopes for a resolution now fall on a new court case, 
initially scheduled to begin on June 13, but now postponed 
until August 3.  Government Agent (GA) for Trincomalee Gamini 
Rodrigo told poloff that both parties involved, the Trishaw 
(three-wheeled taxi) drivers union, which is affiliated with 
the Sinhalese nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), 
and the LTTE-aligned Tamil People's Organization (TPO), led 
by V. Vigneswaran, have agreed to abide by the Court's 
decision. 
 
4.    (C) Most observers in Trincomalee see no actual problem 
with the presence of the statue, as religious statues 
representing a myriad of faiths, both large and small in 
size, are abundant in the multi-ethnic district.  Rather, 
most Tamil sources seem to be offended by the manner in which 
the statue was erected-- surreptitiously and in the middle of 
the night.  Many viewed its surprise appearance as a 
deliberate provocation by the JVP.  Trincomalee Bar 
Association President K. Sivapalan indicated to poloff that 
the location chosen to erect this particular statue seemed 
odd for a religious symbol since a fish market, butcher shop, 
and liquor store are all in close proximity. 
 
5.    (C) "Statue Politics," as many are calling this current 
standoff, show both sides jockeying for position as questions 
loom over the stalled Joint Mechanism and the continued 
erosion of the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) (Ref B).  Residents 
of Trincomalee are frustrated with the lack of progress on 
both fronts, and some observers suggest the statue's erection 
by the JVP is another way for the party to influence 
Government deliberations over the Joint Mechanism.  Arthur 
Treiten of the Sri Lankan Monitoring Mission (SLMM) told 
poloff and POL FSN that any movement on the Joint Mechanism, 
which he sees as the real concern, would likely overshadow 
the statue issue. 
(6)   (C) The TPO and the pro-LTTE Tamil National Alliance 
(TNA) announced on June 2 plans for a large-scale strike for 
June 15 unless the statue, now surrounded by barbed wire and 
guarded by security forces, is removed.  Rodrigo, Treiten, 
and others suggested to poloff that the strike could be 
further postponed depending on the outcome of the 
(now-postponed) June 13 court case and in deference to the 
ongoing "A Level" exams.  However, in a June 10 meeting in 
Colombo, TNA Parliamentarians Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam and 
Suresh Premachandran, both representing Jaffna, told poloff 
that the strike will go on as scheduled with an exemption for 
students taking the "A level" exams.  Both MPs suggested the 
strike could turn violent and also suggested that the fragile 
CFA could be undermined if the GSL fails to sign the Joint 
Mechanism.  (Comment:  Both MPs are well known to this 
Embassy for making dire predictions, most of which never 
materialized.) 
 
7.    (SBU) Despite the tense political situation in 
Trincomalee, the ground situation appears relatively 
peaceful--largely due to the strong security force presence 
throughout the district.  Security forces were stationed, 
sometimes two or three to a block in the town itself, and in 
even greater concentration closer to the statue's location 
near the bus stand.  Some Trincomalee contacts have suggested 
the placement of a Hindu statue alongside that of the Buddha 
as a remedy, but no word has been publicly made as to whether 
this would be acceptable to all parties. 
 
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Tsunami Aid 
 
SIPDIS 
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8.    (C) With all eyes in Trincomalee now focused on the 
statue, attention to other important issues is being 
diverted. Among such pressing matters is the rehabilitation 
of tsunami-affected internally displaced persons (IDPs), as 
well as IDPs from the conflict, some of whom have remained in 
camps for more than 15 years.   Some NGO sources lamented 
that communication between the GSL and IDPs remains poor in 
the East.  According to NGO sources, some tsunami-affected 
IDPs in certain areas have not received any aid for the past 
two months.  Brita Helleland from the United Nations High 
Commission on Refugees (UNHCR) told poloff that the GSL 
decision to centralize relief efforts and the slowness of the 
customs system were huge obstacles in distributing aid. 
Helleland also relayed to poloff that prior to the GSL 
decision to centralize relief, NGOs, along with Trincomalee 
authorities, had created their own "Joint Mechanism" to 
distribute relief, which was subsequently stifled by the 
center.  NGO representatives told poloff that the Buffer Zone 
requirement would be a stumbling block to rehabilitation 
efforts, and were puzzled by the discrepancy between buffer 
zone requirements in the North and East (200 meters), and 
those in the South and West (100 meters).  Helleland also 
commented on the increased outward display of religious and 
ethnic identity--in the form of flags, statues, and other 
symbols--among the various communities in Trincomalee, a 
trend also noticed by POL FSN. 
 
9. (C) Another aspect complicating the IDP equation is the 
potential conflict between tsunami-affected IDPs and 
conflict-affected IDPs, many of whom live side-by-side in the 
same camps.  Discrepancies in aid and temporary shelter 
provisions could lead to conflict between the two groups and 
against the GSL, some sources speculated, as could 
frustration by conflict-affected IDPs over lack of progress 
in their situation since the CFA was signed in 2002. 
Helleland told poloff that in Trincomalee the GSL had begun 
to find land to give conflict-affected IDPs, but charged that 
the central Government in Colombo was delaying this 
initiative. Helleland offered little hope that these IDPs 
would be allowed back on their old land--now occupied by the 
LTTE--as most of it falls into the LTTE's High Security Zone. 
 
10.   (SBU) Poloff and POL FSN also met with Christian clergy 
and a Muslim organization to discuss matters of religious 
freedom.  Both groups told poloff that they were free to 
practice their religion, although some Christians told poloff 
of parishioners being stopped by JVP members who asked how 
the Christians benefited financially from going to church. 
 
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COMMENT 
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11.  (C) The situation in Trincomalee remains tense but 
quiet, largely due to the sizeable contingent of SLA 
personnel now stationed in the district.  Given the simmering 
security situation in the traditionally volatile district, 
whether the Government can or will comply with TNA pressure 
to reduce that presence remains unclear.  Unfortunately, just 
as it has in its protests against the joint mechanism, the 
Sinhalese nationalist JVP is using religion as a weapon in 
its battle for the political limelight.  While we do not 
necessarily agree with the TNA MPs' predictions of 
immediately impending doom, we do concur that increased civil 
unrest-whatever happens on June 15-seems increasingly likely. 
 Our consular section chief is visiting Trincomalee today to 
stay in touch with the American Community there. 
ENTWISTLE