US embassy cable - 03COLOMBO876

S E C R E T COLOMBO 000876 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR DS/IP/SA, DS/DSS/ITA AND SA/INS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 1.6 X1, X6 
TAGS: ASEC, AEMR, PTER, CASC, CE, MIssion Security 
SUBJECT: COLOMBO EAC MEETING May 23, 2003 
 
REF: State 137077 
 
(U) Classified by S.V. Wright, Regional Security Officer, 
reason 1.5(C) and (D). 
 
1.   (SBU) On May 23, 2003 Colombo Emergency Action 
  Committee (EAC) met to discuss our local security situation 
  following the recent bombings in Saudi Arabia and 
  Casablanca, and as recommended in reftel.  The DCM chaired 
  the EAC. 
 
2.   (SBU) The EAC agreed that Colombo continues to be calm. 
  Most local attention is focused on the LTTE's pulling away 
  from the peace negotiations, and rescue efforts following 
  last week's cyclone and flooding.  Events in Saudi Arabia 
  and Casablanca have received little local attention.  All 
  committee members advised that none of their staff had 
  expressed any increased security concern. 
 
3.   (C) AID Director advised that her discussions with 
  contractors and others suggested that Sri Lankan Muslims 
  continued to be disorganized politically, and that she did 
  not see any immediate threat to the US from them.  The EAC 
  was of the opinion that other that a lone unstable attacker, 
  there was little threat from local Muslims generally. 
  Although the Muslim/LTTE situation in the east continued to 
  be unstable and dangerous in the local context, the 
  committee agreed that at the moment, a Muslim threat to US 
  interests in Sri Lanka would have to come from outside Sri 
  Lanka. 
 
4.   (S) RSO advised that all security assets remain at high 
  alert, and commented that we continue to have solid police 
  and police Special Task Force contacts in the east. None 
  have reported any increased aggressive activity from that 
  part of the country.  Additionally, the Director of Internal 
  Intelligence (DII) had advised RSO as recently as May 19, 
  that the DII had no US-related threat information.  DATT 
  also reported that he had received no new threat information 
  from the Directorate of Military Intelligence (DMI).  Both 
  DATT and RSO agreed to question all sources again. 
  Political section also agreed that they had not picked-up 
  any indication of increased risk to US interests, either 
  locally or from contacts in the north and east. 
 
5.   (U) IBB Station Manager reported civil disturbances in 
  Puttalam, near the transmitter station.  Inter-communal 
  rioting broke-out following the murder of a Muslim girl by 
  her uncle after she married a Singhalese man.  Local police 
  responded quickly with overwhelming presence and a local 
  curfew, and the situation has cooled somewhat. 
 
6.   (U) The EAC reconsidered our previous in-country travel 
  restrictions to Puttalam, the north and the east, and agreed 
  that our tight restrictions should remain in effect for now. 
 
7.   (U) The EAC will reconvene as events dictate or if 
  relevant information is received from sources. 
 
Wills