US embassy cable - 03COLOMBO261

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 000261 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SA, SA/INS, S/CT; NSC FOR E. MILLARD 
 
LONDON FOR POL/RIEDEL 
 
E.O. 12958:  DECL: 2-14-13 
TAGS: PGOV, PTER, PHUM, CE, LTTE - Peace Process 
SUBJECT:  Jaffna in an uproar as Tigers ratchet up the 
pressure in the wake of confrontation with military 
 
Ref:  (A) Colombo 253 (Notal) 
-     (B) Colombo 244, and previous 
 
(U) Classified by Lewis Amselem, Deputy Chief of 
Mission.  Reasons 1.5 (b,d) 
 
1. (C) SUMMARY:  Jaffna is in an uproar in the wake of a 
February 12 confrontation between the Tamil Tigers and 
the military.  Angry over the incident in which several 
cadre were injured, the Tigers forced the postponement 
of the planned reopening of the Jaffna Library, a 
cultural landmark.  Tiger spokesman Balasingham was also 
quoted as bitterly complaining about the incident, 
asserting it was a threat to the ceasefire.  With the 
help of the monitors, the GSL is trying to tamp down the 
tensions.  In essence, this is another instance of the 
LTTE's employing mafia-type tactics to prove a point. 
END SUMMARY. 
 
2. (SBU) LTTE/MILITARY INCIDENT:  Jaffna District is in 
an uproar in the wake of a February 12 confrontation 
between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and 
the Sri Lankan military.  The incident took place on 
February 12 and was sparked when Sri Lanka Army (SLA) 
troops stopped LTTE women cadre in the town of Manipay, 
located just outside of Jaffna town.  The cadre were 
reportedly trying to pass through a military checkpoint 
wearing their uniforms and reacted badly when the SLA 
ordered them to remove their belts, which were of a 
military style.  (Note:  The cadre seem to have been 
unarmed, but, according to the February 2002 ceasefire 
accord, they cannot be in uniform in government- 
controlled areas, such as Jaffna.)  The dispute quickly 
flared into fisticuffs with pro-LTTE Tamil civilians 
protesting the actions of the military and the SLA 
calling out a riot squad.  Several LTTE cadre and army 
personnel were injured in the confrontation. 
 
3. (U) SLMM/GSL REACTION:  The Norwegian-run Sri Lanka 
Monitoring Mission (SLMM) was quickly called in to 
investigate the incident.  In a public statement issued 
soon thereafter, SLMM spokesman Teitor Torkelson said 
the LTTE cadre had violated the ceasefire accord by 
wearing uniforms in government-controlled Jaffna.  He 
also stated that the army used excessive force when 
quelling the public demonstration.  The SLMM pledged to 
continue its investigation, and urged both sides to calm 
down. 
 
4. (SBU) Eager to protect the peace process, the Sri 
Lankan government also urged that all sides cool off. 
During a town hall-type meeting in Colombo hosted by a 
local think-tank, G.L. Peiris and Milinda Moragoda, two 
key GSL ministers involved in peace process issues, 
briefly discussed the LTTE-military confrontation on 
February 13.  They asserted that the GSL was doing 
everything possible to resolve the dispute.  Moreover, 
they said the Tigers had agreed with the GSL on the need 
to lower temperatures. 
 
5. (SBU) POSTPONEMENT OF LIBRARY REOPENING:  The Sri 
Lankan ministers evidently spoke too soon, as the LTTE 
decided to up the ante.  Pro-LTTE elements honored the 
group's call for a work stoppage in large parts of 
Jaffna on February 13.  In the meantime, LTTE supporters 
reportedly attacked the offices of an anti-LTTE Tamil 
party in Chavakachcheri, a town located to the east of 
Jaffna town.  In reaction to the LTTE-instigated ruckus, 
Jaffna's mayor announced late February 13 that the 
planned reopening of the Jaffna Library scheduled for 
February 14 had been postponed indefinitely.  (Note: 
The library is a cultural landmark for many Tamils.  It 
was burned down in fighting in the 1980s and all its 
books -- some of them priceless -- were utterly 
destroyed.  In an attempt at reconciliation with Tamils, 
the government has been working for some time to rebuild 
the structure, which is believed to be almost finished.) 
By all accounts, the announcement by the mayor was 
engineered by the LTTE, which made clear that it was 
angry about the February 12 incident and did not want 
any sort of celebration of GSL-Tamil amity at this time. 
In making this point, the pro-LTTE elements reportedly 
paid a personal visit to the mayor, threatening him and 
his staff. 
 
6.  (C) (((Note:  The Tiger pressure was a bit much for 
Jaffna's municipal council members and, shortly after 
the announcement of the postponing of the library 
reopening, they resigned en masse.  Even Tamil United 
Liberation Front, "TULF," members of the council -- 
usually a pro-LTTE block -- were apparently put off by 
the LTTE's strong-arm tactics.  In a rarity, for 
example, V. Anandasangarai, a senior TULF MP and a 
leader of the party, expressed public disappointment 
with the LTTE.  While dramatic, the resignations were 
more symbolic than anything else inasmuch as members' 
five-year terms of office were up next week in any case. 
End Note.))) 
 
7.  (C) LTTE HITS OUT SOME MORE:  Not content with just 
shutting down the library's reopening, the LTTE decided 
to up the pressure some more.  LTTE spokesman and the 
head of its negotiating team, Anton Balasingham, for 
example, was quoted as bitterly complaining about the 
incident, and stating that if the military did not 
change its ways the Tigers would reconsider their 
involvement in the ceasefire.  Pro-LTTE students and 
others have also planned a protest march for February 14 
at the end of which a petition is to handed over to the 
SLMM complaining about the military's actions on 
February 12. 
 
8. (C) COMMENT:  The government and the SLMM continue to 
work feverishly to tamp down tensions.  The GSL, for 
example, has announced that it is launching a full 
inquiry into the military's role in the incident.  It is 
not yet clear whether the LTTE will respond in a 
cooperative manner soon.  Certainly, Balasingham's 
reported statement that the ceasefire could be in the 
balance was a bit menacing, as it was one of the first 
times the LTTE has issued such a threat since the peace 
process began.  Another factor that seems to underlie 
the Tigers' aggressive reaction includes the fact that 
the group is clearly still sore over the February 7 
incident in which three Tiger cadre committed suicide 
after their arms smuggling boat was intercepted (see Ref 
B).  (Note:  It is also the case, of course, that the 
LTTE's latest protest campaign fits in well with its 
long-standing opposition to the military's security 
zones in Jaffna.)  In addition, as reviewed in Ref B, 
the overall pattern of the Tigers' latest antics 
highlight their continued employment of mafia-type 
tactics against perceived opponents.  END COMMENT. 
 
9. (U) Minimize considered. 
 
WILLS