US embassy cable - 05COLOMBO2000

C O N F I D E N T I A L COLOMBO 002000 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR PM/WRA - DEBORAH NETLAND 
STATE ALSO FOR SA/INS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/24/2015 
TAGS: PTER, MOPS, EAID, CE, LTTE - Peace Process 
SUBJECT: SRI LANKA:  SUSPECTED TIGERS ATTACK US-DONATED 
DEMINING TRUCK; ONE KILLED 
 
Classified By: AMB. JEFFREY J. LUNSTEAD.  REASON:  1.4 (B,D). 
 
1.  (SBU)  Fredrik Palsson, Chief of Party for RONCO, the 
contractor for the US-funded humanitarian demining program, 
contacted poloff the morning of November 25 to report that at 
about 7:45 p.m. the previous evening in the Point Pedro area 
of Jaffna suspected Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) 
militants had thrown a grenade into a truck donated to the 
program by the US.  Five Sri Lanka Army (SLA) soldiers had 
been injured in the attack; one of the injured died later 
that night.  At least one civilian was injured when the SLA 
returned fire following the attack, Palsson reported. 
 
2.  (SBU) The truck had been out on a supply run for the 
humanitarian demining unit storekeeper, Palsson reported, 
although why it was out after dark was unclear.  (SLA 
Director of Operations later told DAO that the soldiers had 
been directed to change camps at the end of the work day and 
were en route to the second camp at the time of the attack.) 
No RONCO personnel were in the truck at the time of the 
attack.  Palsson added that Brigadier General Ananda 
Chandrasiri, Commander of the Engineering Brigade, was en 
route to Jaffna from Colombo to look into the incident. 
 
3.  (SBU)  The truck, one of a fleet of 13 donated by the US, 
is white and has markings clearly identifying it as belonging 
to the humanitarian demining program.  (Smaller markings 
identify the truck as having been donated by the U.S. 
Government.)  Since it was dark at the time of the attack, 
however, it is unclear whether the attackers could see the 
markings, Palsson commented.  The LTTE has never attacked any 
US-funded humanitarian demining vehicles or personnel in the 
past.  Noting that at about the same time, suspected LTTE 
cadres had thrown a grenade at an SLA vehicle in the eastern 
district of Trincomalee, injuring two soldiers, Palsson 
suggested the possibility that the attacks had been 
coordinated. 
 
4.  (C)  Comment: We believe that the LTTE did not target the 
truck because of its US affiliation for several reasons.  The 
LTTE has no history of attacking U.S.-funded projects--a 
point their proxies have stressed to us a number of times. 
Moreover, that it was dark at the time of the attack (making 
the vehicle difficult to identify), that the truck was not on 
a regularly scheduled run, and the proximity of the time of 
the attack to the upcoming Heroes' Day (November 27) all 
suggest that the LTTE selected the truck as a target of 
opportunity, rather than because of any connection to either 
the US or humanitarian demining.  Nonetheless, we have to let 
the LTTE know that such unprovoked violence is unacceptable 
and undermines our ability to continue supporting the 
demining program, which provides significant humanitarian and 
economic benefits to the local civilian population of Jaffna. 
 We will register our strong protest of this attack with the 
Tigers through the Norwegian Embassy in Colombo and will also 
give a strong message to the Tamil National Alliance (TNA). 
 
LUNSTEAD