US embassy cable - 02COLOMBO1904

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 COLOMBO 001904 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SA, SA/INS 
 
NSC FOR E. MILLARD 
 
LONDON FOR POL/RIEDEL 
 
E.O. 12958:  DECL: 10-10-12 
TAGS: PGOV, PTER, PINS, PHUM, MOPS, CE, LTTE - Peace Process 
SUBJECT:  Amid some positive news, violence in east 
leaves at least seven suspected Tiger supporters dead 
 
Refs:  (A) FBIS Reston Va DTG 100403Z OCT 02 
 
-      (B) FBIS Reston Va DTG 091457Z OCT 02 
-      (C) FBIS Reston Va DTG 091245Z OCT 02 
-      (D) Colombo 1891, and previous 
 
(U) Classified by W. Lewis Amselem, Deputy Chief of 
Mission.  Reasons 1.5 (b,d). 
 
1.  (C) Summary:  Police shot and killed at least seven 
suspected Tamil Tiger supporters on October 9.  The 
incident was triggered by an attempt to storm a police 
station in the east.  On a positive note for the peace 
process, the Tigers released six soldiers after 
obtaining the release of two of their cadre.  In 
addition, responding to the successful intervention of 
GSL Minister Moragoda, over 200 prisoners suspected of 
ties with the Tigers have halted a hunger strike.  Given 
the mix of good news with the bad, the peace process 
seems to have lurched into a particularly volatile 
period.  End Summary. 
 
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Bloody Incident in the East 
--------------------------- 
 
2.  (SBU) Special Task Force (STF) police and Liberation 
Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) supporters engaged in a 
bloody firefight on October 9.  The incident took place 
near Akkaraipattu, a coastal town in the eastern 
district of Ampara.  While reports are sketchy, the 
incident apparently was touched off by an argument 
between STF police and LTTE operatives backed up Tamil 
civilians.  The operatives reported the incident to an 
adjacent LTTE base, and a group of suspected LTTE cadre, 
apparently joined by Tamil supporters, decided to storm 
a nearby STF camp.  It is not clear who took the first 
shot, but the STF, firing heavily, repelled the attack, 
with its forces sustaining several injuries during the 
incident. (Note:  The STF is a highly trained police 
unit deployed throughout Ampara.  Three-thousand strong 
in Ampara, the STF has had considerable success 
countering the LTTE, largely due to its small unit 
tactics.  End Note.) 
 
3.  (C) The incident has prompted considerable concern 
about its potential ramifications for the peace process. 
Indeed, based on reports Mission is receiving today, the 
east is quite tense over the incident, although no 
violence has been reported as of yet.  Milinda Moragoda, 
an important GSL minister involved in peace-related 
issues, told us that he was very worried about what the 
LTTE might do in response.  (Note:  For its part, the 
LTTE has not yet apparently announced what it plans to 
do, if anything.)  Nimal Goonetilleke, the head of the 
STF, was rushing to Ampara today to check on the 
situation.  Moragoda added that the Norwegian-run Sri 
Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) was also planning to 
investigate the incident. 
 
4.  (C) (((Note:  Even before this latest incident, the 
east has been the epicenter of much instability.  There 
has been a recent spike in anger among Muslims in the 
area, for example, over what they perceive to be their 
marginalization in the peace process.  The situation 
seems to be growing worse:  there are reports that a 
number of Muslim MPs are now threatening to boycott 
Parliament if their concerns about the peace process are 
not met.  Moragoda told us that the GSL was trying to 
head off this protest.  End Note.))) 
 
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LTTE Releases Soldiers 
---------------------- 
 
5.  (C) On a positive note for the peace process, a two 
week-old standoff between the GSL and the LTTE in 
Trincomalee has ended.  As foreshadowed in Ref D, the 
LTTE released six Sri Lankan soldiers from detention 
late October 9.  The LTTE took this action after the 
government met the group? demand and released two LTTE 
cadre from its custody earlier in the day.  During a 
meeting with visiting DRL P/DAS Parmly on October 10, 
K.C. Kamalasabayson, the Attorney General, expressed 
relief that the situation had been resolved, noting that 
the standoff had proved destabilizing in Trincomalee. 
(Note:  Many Sinhalese and some Muslims in the area had 
taken to the streets in various demonstrations 
protesting the LTTE's detention of the soldiers.) 
Kamalasabayson said he had urged the judge involved in 
the LTTE cadre? case to grant bail and release them in 
order to cool the situation down. 
 
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Hunger Strike Lifted 
-------------------- 
 
6.  (SBU) In another positive development, Tamils 
detained in various prisons lifted their hunger strike 
on October 9.  The approximately 200 detainees, who had 
begun their action on October 1, were demanding their 
immediate release from jails in Kalutara (south of 
Colombo), Batticaloa in the east, and elsewhere.  The 
prisoners asserted that the law they were being held 
under, the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA), was unfair 
and should be repealed.  The strike ended after a visit 
to Kalutara prison, where most of the detainees are 
housed, by Minister Moragoda late on October 9. 
Moragoda pledged to the detainees that the government 
would carefully look at their cases in the next 30 days 
in an effort to see whom it could release.  Attorney 
General Kamalasabayson confirmed to P/DAS Parmly that 
his office would actively review the detainees?cases. 
He thought that most of the detainees probably merited 
release.  About 50, however, were hard-core LTTE cadre 
who had been engaged in terrorist attacks, who could not 
be released. 
 
7.  (C) (((Note:  Apparently in reaction to the 
complaints of the detainees and the LTTE about the act, 
Kamalasabayson noted that the government was actively 
considering revoking the PTA.  Confirming the Attorney 
General's comments, Mission has learned that the weekly 
cabinet meeting on October 9 actively considered the 
issue of doing away with the PTA, which has been in 
place for almost 25 years now.  The cabinet agreed to 
review the issue further.))) 
 
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Comment 
------- 
 
8.  (C) Given the mix of good news with the bad, the 
peace process seems to have lurched into a particularly 
volatile period.  Due to the Ampara incident, the 
situation in the east seems to be even more tense than 
usual.  It is still not clear what the LTTE reaction 
will be, but the group rarely backs down when it feels 
it is under pressure.  On the other hand, the GSL gave 
the LTTE what it wanted with respect to the de facto 
prisoner exchange in Trincomalee and by agreeing to 
reconsider the utility of the PTA.   Whether this will 
be enough to assuage the LTTE is unknown. 
 
9.  (C) (Note:  Regarding the LTTE's possible reaction 
to the Ampara incident, Moragoda told us that senior 
Tiger negotiator Anton Balasingham was supposed to 
transit Colombo today in order to visit the LTTE 
leadership in the north.  The trip was postponed at the 
last moment, however, and he wondered whether 
Balasingham was angry over what took place in Ampara. 
When asked, the Norwegian Embassy told us that it 
thought that "practical reasons" had prevented 
Balasingham's visit, but it was still checking.  End 
Note.)  End Comment. 
 
10.  (U) Minimize considered. 
WILLS