US embassy cable - 03COLOMBO982

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 000982 
 
SIPDIS 
 
Department for D (Gastright), INR/MR, I/RW, I/REC, 
SA (Camp, Waller), SA/PD (Brennig, Irwin, Scensny, SSA/PAS, 
SSO (Pass to D); Tokyo (Hara, Bryan) 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KPAO, OPRC, KMDR, OIIP, CE, LTTE - Peace Process 
SUBJECT:  MEDIA PLAY: (June 7) Tokyo Conference; Colombo 
 
1. Summary.  The Sri Lankan media continued its feverish 
coverage of whether or not the Tigers will go to Tokyo. 
The LTTE's Tamilchelvan said that if the Tigers' request 
for an interim administration is met, they might yet go to 
Japan.  Tamil newspaper headlines buzzed with Minister 
Moragoda's pre-departure reassurances that the Tigers will 
not be forgotten after Tokyo, and were full of GSL and US 
exhortations urging the LTTE to attend the donor 
conference.  English and vernacular press reported that 
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe is optimistic the LTTE 
will return to the negotiating table.  An editorial in the 
nationalist-leaning daily the ISLAND asked, "Can mighty 
nations be blackmailed?" and answered that the Tigers' 
absence from Tokyo, ".Is an attempt to intimidate the 
`international community' involved as well as the Sri Lanka 
government and make the "peace process" wag according to 
their dictates."  End summary. 
 
----- 
2. LTTE statements and other Tamil reaction. 
----- 
In English and vernacular newscasts, state-owned SLRC 
television reported on an LTTE press conference in 
Kilinochchi.   LTTE political wing leader Tamilchelvan said 
the LTTE has not given up on the idea of attending the 
Tokyo Conference.  He stated that if the Tigers receive a 
favorable reply from the government for their request to 
administer development and rehabilitation work in the north 
and east, they would attend.  He also noted that there are 
two more days for this decision to be made, and that 
whatever situation arises, the LTTE will not revert to war. 
 
Tamil newspaper headlines buzzed with Minister Moragoda's 
pre-departure reassurances that the Tigers will not be 
forgotten after Tokyo.  LTTE-leaning SUDAR OLI quoted him, 
"We will not undervalue the cooperation of the Tigers in 
the development work in NE, [even] though [they are] not 
attending the Tokyo Conference," while State-owned 
THINAKARAN added, "Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe will 
explain at the Tokyo Conference how we will utilize foreign 
aid - We will not betray the Tigers."  Moragoda's comfort 
continued with independent daily VIRAKESARI's headline, 
"Peace efforts to be carried forward with new energy after 
the Conference." 
 
Tamil dailies also sang with GSL and US exhortations urging 
the Tigers to go to Tokyo.  LTTE-leaning SUDAR OLI quoted 
Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, "I am anxious to see 
the Tigers at the Tokyo Conference."  All major Tamil 
dailies focused on USAID Deputy Administrator Fred 
Schieck's 6/6 comments in Colombo.  State-owned daily 
THINAKARAN quoted Schieck, "US hopeful Tigers will attend 
Tokyo Conference," while independent daily VIRAKESARI 
continued, "Big loss to the Tamil people if the Tigers do 
not attend the Tokyo Conference - There's time until 
tomorrow." 
 
Pro-LTTE website Tamilnet headlined, "Colombo JVP 
demonstration attracts more than 10,000," and continued, 
"More than ten-thousand members and activists, including 
parliamentary members of the Sinhala nationalist party, the 
Janata Vimukti Peramuna (JVP), took part in a massive rally 
in Sri Lanka's capital Colombo, Friday afternoon, 
protesting against attempts by the Sri Lanka government to 
hand over Northeast interim administration to the 
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), political sources 
in Colombo said." 
 
Tamil editorialists were silent. 
 
----- 
3. GSL statements and pro-government reaction 
----- 
Various media outlets in Sri Lanka picked up a BBC Asia 
Today interview with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. 
BBC online reported, "Sri Lanka's prime minister says he 
has no doubt that Tamil Tiger rebels are committed to peace 
and that direct talks with the government will resume." 
 
Vernacular and English newscasts on state-owned SLRC 
television echoed the BBC and reported that Prime Minister 
Ranil Wickremesinghe is optimistic the LTTE will return to 
the negotiating table.  SLRC also covered Minister 
Moragoda's airport reassurances to the Tigers - that the 
GSL is not underestimating LTTE participation in 
development of the north and east, and that the GSL wants 
to solve problems with the LTTE through discussion. 
Moragoda noted the GSL's desire to proceed with development 
work in the north and east at a faster pace after the Tokyo 
conference. 
 
Like the Tamil press, English and Sinhala newspapers also 
concentrated on GSL and US statements encouraging the LTTE 
to go to Tokyo.  Independent English DAILY MIRROR 
headlined, "Direct talks will resume soon, Tokyo a turning 
point: PM."  State-owned Sinhala daily DINAMINA offered, 
"US expresses hope that LTTE will go to Japan," while 
independent Sinhala daily LANKADEEPA went a step further, 
"America Warns LTTE - 'Wrong signal to the world by 
boycotting Tokyo confab.'" 
 
There were no pro-government editorials. 
 
----- 
4. Opposition statements and pro-opposition reaction. 
----- 
Independent television station MTV reported that Lakshman 
Kadirgamar, Presidential Advisor on International Affairs 
and Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, hopes that there 
will be another chance for the UNF and the PA to find a 
common approach to solve the ethnic conflict after the 
Tokyo conference. 
One newspaper sympathetic to the opposition editorialized. 
The ISLAND (independent, but nationalist-leaning English 
daily) asked,  "Can mighty nations be blackmailed?" and 
answered, "The threat to keep off [the Tokyo Conference] is 
an attempt to intimidate the "international community" 
involved as well as the Sri Lanka government and make the 
"peace process" wag according to their dictates." 
 
Block quotes: 
 
"The decision to go ahead with the Tokyo Conference with or 
without the participation of the LTTE will be proved 
correct in the long run. 
"Neither the LTTE nor the Tamil community stand to gain by 
keeping off Tokyo.  It will aggravate the suffering of the 
people of the north and east.  The threat to keep off is an 
attempt to intimidate the "international community" 
involved as well as the Sri Lanka government and make the 
"peace process" wag according to their dictates. 
"The fault lies with the Sri Lanka government.  They 
pampered the terrorists and gave in to practically every 
demand while looking away from gross violations of the law 
and the cease-fire agreement.  At some stage, some of our 
enthusiastic peace negotiators were anxious to confer on 
the LTTE the same status as that of the Sri Lanka 
government.  And that is what appears to figure in the 
background of demands that are being made. 
"It is quite apparent that the indulgent attitudes of the 
Prime Minister and the international community have 
encouraged the LTTE to go ahead with bulldozing tactics. 
Such bulldozing is no way to peace and the LTTE have to be 
made to realize that.  Peace is a two-way process. 
"The LTTE most probably will be having its own unorthodox 
plans if they do not turn up at Tokyo.  Whether such plans 
are to go back to the gun and the bomb or not, it is time 
that this childish and petulant behavior has to be called 
to a halt. 
"This group of terrorists should be told that they cannot 
blackmail mighty nations." 
End block quotes. 
 
AMSELEM