US embassy cable - 02COLOMBO1879

C O N F I D E N T I A L COLOMBO 001879 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SA, SA/INS, NEA/NGA, DS/DSS/ITA 
 
NSC FOR E. MILLARD 
 
LONDON FOR POL/RIEDEL 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10-08-12 
TAGS: PGOV, PINS, PREL, ECON, KPAO, CE, IZ, Political Parties 
SUBJECT:  Radical JVP party sponsors lightly attended 
rally protesting U.S. Iraq policy 
 
Refs:  FBIS Reston Va DTG 071152Z OCT 02 
 
(U) Classified by W. Lewis Amselem, Deputy Chief of 
Mission.  Reasons 1.5 (b,d). 
 
1.  (U) In a first, an anti-U.S. Iraq policy 
demonstration took place in Colombo on October 7.  The 
rally, which took place near the embassy, was lightly 
attended, with only about 250 people participating.  The 
radical, Sinhalese chauvinist Janantha Vimukthi Peramuna 
(JVP) party sponsored the event.  (Note:  The JVP is one 
of the largest political parties in parliament with 16 
members.)  An estimated 300 police had cordoned off the 
area, preventing the demonstrators from approaching the 
embassy, which is also adjacent to Temple Trees, the 
office of the prime minister.  There was no violence, 
although traffic on Galle Road, a major thoroughfare, 
was disrupted for a time.  Participants in the rally 
seemed almost sedate, perhaps because of the large 
police presence.  Most of them seemed to be from the JVP 
based on the signs they were carrying.  There were some 
Muslims.  The rally generated only modest coverage in 
the local press (although Ref Xinhua report made the 
rally look like a very big deal). 
 
2.  (SBU) The police allowed three of the demonstrators, 
all JVP MPs, to deliver a statement to the RSO.  The 
statement, which was signed by JVP General Secretary 
Tilvin Silva, was basically a rehash of warmed-over 
criticisms of U.S. policy.  The main thrust was that the 
world had understood U.S. policy in the aftermath of 
September 11, but the U.S. had now gone too far -- the 
U.S. "has no right to change regimes of sovereign 
nations and to kill tens of thousands of civilians." 
 
3.  (SBU) (((Note:  Milinda Moragoda told DCM that the 
JVP was back at it today: this time by making anti-U.S. 
points re Iraq in parliament.  At one point, Speaker 
Joseph Michael Perera interjected when a senior JVP MP 
made a negative comment about President Bush.  Anura 
Bandaranaike, President Kumaratunga's brother and a 
senior People's Alliance MP who has made anti-U.S. 
remarks in the past, asserted that MPs had the right to 
make such statements about anyone they chose.  The 
speaker overruled him.))) 
 
4.  (C) Comment:  This is the first anti-Iraq policy 
rally in Sri Lanka since the current standoff began. 
The fact that the JVP sponsored the rally is noteworthy 
to the extent that the group has been able to mobilize 
large crowds in the past.  If the Iraq situation becomes 
increasingly tense, it is possible that the JVP and 
Muslim radicals might be able to gather some anti-U.S. 
momentum.  That said, most Sri Lankans seem to have 
other fish to fry and are not paying much attention. 
 
5.  (C) There is some worry, however, over a possible 
war's repercussions on the many Sri Lankans working in 
the Middle East region, as well as the effect on tea 
sales to Iraq and other Arab states.  There is also some 
concern that Sri Lanka has not stocked enough petroleum 
in case of an emergency -- and that a surge in oil 
prices could undercut the GSL budget, which is based on 
an estimate that the price would hover around USD 20 a 
gallon.  End Comment. 
 
6.  (U) Minimize considered. 
 
WILLS