US embassy cable - 03COLOMBO1053

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 COLOMBO 001053 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SA, SA/INS, S/CT; NSC FOR E. MILLARD 
LONDON FOR POL/RIEDEL 
 
E.O. 12958:   DECL:  06-16-13 
TAGS: PGOV, PTER, MOPS, PHUM, CE, JA, NO, LTTE - Peace Process 
SUBJECT:  Tensions notch up over sinking of Tamil Tiger 
ship and latest slaying of a Tiger opponent 
 
Refs:  (A) Colombo-SA/INS 06/14/03 telecon 
-      (B) Colombo 1034, and previous 
 
(U) Classified by Ambassador E. Ashley Wills. 
Reasons:  1.5 (b,d). 
 
1.  (C) SUMMARY:  Two violent incidents on June 14 have 
sparked an increase in tension between the Tigers and 
the GSL.  In the first, a Tiger ship exploded off the 
northeast coast after being intercepted by the navy.  It 
is unclear whether the crew detonated the ship or 
whether it was destroyed by GSL gunfire.  In the other 
incident, a high-level opponent of the Tigers was 
assassinated in Jaffna.  The Tigers, in semi-threatening 
tones, have complained about the sea incident and denied 
involvement in the Jaffna slaying.  The latest incidents 
have placed added strain on the peace process.  END 
SUMMARY. 
 
===================== 
Sinking of Tiger Ship 
===================== 
 
2.  (SBU) Two violent incidents on Saturday, June 14, 
have sparked an increase in tension between the Tigers 
and the Sri Lankan government.  In the first incident, 
according to the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN), its vessels 
intercepted two ships belonging to the Liberation Tigers 
of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) approximately 110 nautical miles 
off the northeast coast in the Bay of Bengal early 
morning June 14.  (Note:  Some SLN sources have stated 
that the incident took place closer to 175 miles off 
shore; the LTTE has claimed it took place over 260 miles 
off shore -- see below.)  Based on what the SLN has 
said, the two LTTE ships refused to return to port under 
escort and began to fire at the SLN ships.  In response, 
the SLN, which had only fired some warning shots, 
commenced firing at the ships, and, suddenly, one of 
them exploded and subsequently sank.  The other LTTE 
ship escaped and has not been re-intercepted as of late 
June 16.  (Note:  There are unconfirmed reports in the 
Sri Lankan press that the Indian military is providing 
the GSL intelligence and other assistance in locating 
the ship that escaped.)  Judging by the secondary 
explosions on the boat that sank, the SLN believes that 
the LTTE ship was an arms resupply vessel.  According to 
press reports, up to 12 cadre were on the vessel that 
sank.  They are all presumed dead (though the LTTE has 
stated that the crew was abducted by the navy -- see 
below). 
 
3.  (SBU) There is some confusion over the SLN's version 
of events, primarily over how the LTTE ship was sunk. 
The president's office, for example, announced that the 
LTTE ship sank due to SLN firing, and had not self- 
detonated as the navy has been claiming.  The government 
has not yet worked out this discrepancy.  (Note:  For 
its part, the LTTE has asserted that the navy sank its 
ship -- see below.  There have been previous incidents 
when LTTE sea cadre self-detonated their vessels after 
being intercepted by the SLN, killing themselves in the 
process.  In the most recent sea incident, which took 
place in March, however, a LTTE vessel was sunk off the 
northeast coast by SLN gunnery, with the loss of its 11- 
member LTTE crew.  For additional details on the June 14 
sea incident, please see DATT Septel.) 
 
========================== 
LTTE complains to Monitors 
========================== 
 
4.  (SBU) The LTTE has bitterly complained to the 
monitors over the June 14 sea incident.  In a somewhat 
confusing letter to the Norwegian-run Sri Lanka 
Monitoring Mission (SLMM), Tiger political chief S.P. 
Thamilchelvam asserted that the SLN had destroyed the 
ship (which he said was an "oil tanker"), although it 
was acting peaceably and following all the SLN's orders. 
(Note:  The letter was posted on "TamilNet," a pro-LTTE 
website, on June 15.)  Thamilchelvam also claimed that 
the LTTE's ship had been intercepted in "international 
waters" over 260 nautical miles off the northeast coast 
(as opposed to the 110 or 175 miles variously claimed by 
the SLN).  Wrapping up, Thamilchelvam asked for the SLMM 
to look into the matter, stating (menacingly): 
 
"We hold the SLN fully responsible for the unlawful 
destruction of our vessel and criminal abduction of our 
cadre...We are afraid that the SLN is working hard on a 
sabotage course of the entire peace process.  We wish to 
advise you that the SLN will have to bear responsibility 
for any dire consequences that may arise as a result of 
their action.  Please favor us with an early report, 
taking into consideration the seriousness of the 
incident and our concern for the lives of our cadres." 
 
(Note:  The navy has denied the accusation made above by 
Thamilchelvam that it has detained the LTTE personnel on 
board the ship that sank.) 
 
5.  (C) The SLMM has confirmed that it is looking into 
the matter.  Agnes Bragadottir, the SLMM spokeswoman, 
told us that her organization was in touch with both the 
Tigers and the GSL over the incident.  She allowed that 
rough seas off the northeast coast were helping retard 
efforts by SLMM sea monitors to investigate what 
transpired, but said the SLMM would keep trying. 
Bragadottir said it was not clear how many LTTE crew 
members were on board the ship (she thought there were 
about 12), but the SLMM was using its good offices to 
account for them.  (Note:  Bragadottir confirmed that 
the SLMM had also been in touch with the Tigers on 
Friday, June 13, over the case of two police officers 
being held by the Tigers in the east -- see Reftels.) 
 
======================= 
Assassination in Jaffna 
======================= 
 
6.  (SBU) In the other violent incident taking place on 
June 14, a high-level Tamil opponent of the Tigers was 
assassinated in Jaffna town.  From what Mission 
understands, Kandiah Subathiran (FYI:  Confusingly, 
Subathiran went by several names with various 
spellings), a high-ranking official in the anti-LTTE 
Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRLF), 
was shot and killed while exercising on the roof of his 
house/office early June 14.  The sniper, who escaped, is 
believed to have been some distance away, perhaps hiding 
in a nearby school, when he fired the shots. 
Subathiran's killing brings the number of anti-LTTE 
Tamils who have been killed in the past several months 
to almost 30 (See Ref B).  (Note:  Mission personnel had 
met Subathiran on several occasions, but he was not a 
close contact.  Subathiran was a former elected 
official, serving on Jaffna's local council). 
 
7.  (C) Via the generally pro-LTTE elements of the Tamil 
National Alliance political grouping, the Tamil Tigers 
have denied any involvement in the June 14 killing. 
This fits into the pattern of previous killings of anti- 
LTTE Tamil opponents, all of which the Tigers have 
denied they were responsible for (see Reftels). 
(Note:  In addition to the June 14 Jaffna killing, 
another Tamil was gunned down on June 15, this time in 
the Batticaloa area of the east.  The victim is believed 
to have defected from the LTTE several years ago.) 
 
======= 
COMMENT 
======= 
 
8.  (C) The peace track has already been under 
considerable strain due to the Tigers' refusal to come 
back to the face-to-face talks right away, as well as 
their failure to show up at the Tokyo donors conference 
(see Ref B).  These latest incidents have only served to 
increase the strain in two major ways.  First, in regard 
to the latest sea incident (such confrontations have 
been a recurring problem for the ceasefire), it is 
apparent that the LTTE is very angry over what happened 
and it is reacting in a semi-threatening manner. 
Second, the assassination in Jaffna -- which was almost 
certainly perpetrated by the LTTE -- was brazen to say 
the least and leads to more questions about the Tigers' 
intentions.  At this time, the government's reaction to 
this new load of problems is unclear.  Trying to point 
things back in the right direction after the highly 
successful Tokyo conference is clearly proving a 
challenge, however.  (Note:  In June 16 comments to the 
press, G.L. Peiris, a key minister, said the government 
was putting together new proposals for the LTTE's review 
regarding the formation of an interim structure to run 
the north/east.)  END COMMENT. 
 
9.  (U) Minimize considered. 
 
WILLS