US embassy cable - 03COLOMBO1273

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 001273 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR INR/MR, I/RW, I/REC; PA 
SA/INS (CAMP, WALLER), SA/PD (SCHWARTZ, BRENNIG, SCENSNY), 
SSA/PAS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: KPAO, OPRC, KMDR, OIIP, CE 
SUBJECT:  Media Play:  "Mystery American" attends Sri 
Lankan intelligence meetings? 
 
1. On Sunday, 7/14, readers of the SUNDAY TIMES 
(independent English weekender), one of Sri Lanka's mass 
circulation newspapers, woke up to front-page, above-the- 
fold headlines:  "Mystery American at government 
intelligence meetings."  The gist of the allegation:  an 
AmCit had participated in meetings of the GSL's 
intelligence community.  "This ... poses threats to their 
own sources of intelligence," a "highly agitated source" 
said, and "raises very serious questions over national 
security...."  The story played throughout the week and 
into the following weekend.  By 7/20 the AmCit had become a 
CIA agent named Bruce Hoffman, and had been joined by one 
or more colleagues from India and the UK.  President 
Kumaratunga, furious at the discovery, had instructed 
senior officials to close intelligence meetings to 
foreigners.  Senior officials, in turn, had admitted the 
presence of the AmCit but had insisted that his presence 
was important to the "restructuring of the intelligence 
unit."  Kumaratunga's Peoples Alliance (PA) maintained that 
his presence was evidence of "increasing interference" by 
the USG as well as a "threat to the security of the 
President and our neighbor India."  Finally, weekend 
reports had the PM's United National Party (UNP) declaring 
it "normal practice to obtain the services of foreign 
experts," but saying that the Prime Minister would send the 
foreigners home "if local intelligence officers think that 
foreign expertise is unnecessary."  Meanwhile, other 
headlines had the foreigners leaving on their own volition, 
saying that they would "refuse to get involved in further 
activities," while at least one Sinhala daily reported that 
the visit had fallen prey to an LTTE plot to curtail the 
consultations. 
 
2. Comment.  As often happens in Sri Lankan politics, the 
"mysterious American" quickly became a cohabitation 
football, with the President's PA alliance "strongly 
oppos[ing] the presence of outsiders at such important 
meetings" and the PM's UNP insisting that "training of 
intelligence personnel by foreign experts has been carried 
out for a long time, even during the time of the PA 
government."  He also became fodder for Sri Lanka's pro- 
LTTE interests, most vehemently in the pro-LTTE Tamil 
daily, SUDAR OLI, which called him "clear proof that 
Premier Ranil's government is being caught in the American 
net, little by little" and argued that the government, 
while engaged in peace talks for a permanent solution, is 
preparing to suppress the liberation war of the Tamils 
militarily by strengthening its forces.  End comment. 
 
----- 
3. Headlines. 
----- 
 
- 7/13:  SUNDAY TIMES (independent English weekender), 
"Mystery American at govt. intelligence meetings." 
 
- 7/14:  THINAKKURAL (independent Tamil daily), "American 
officer attending high-level meetings of intelligence 
officers" 
 
- 7/17:  ISLAND (independent English daily), "CBK says 'no' 
to foreigners at intelligence meetings" 
 
- 7/18:  THINAKKURAL, "President advises not to allow 
foreigners in intelligence unit meetings" 
 
- 7/19:  THINAKKURAL, "PA accuses U.S. ... of increasing 
interference" 
 
7/20:  SUNDAY LANKADEEPA (independent Sinhala weekender), 
"Intelligence re-structure:  advisors from three countries 
quit" 
 
- 7/20:  SUNDAY TIMES, "Foreigners in or out:  PM asks 
Lankan int. chiefs" 
 
- 7/20:  SUNDAY THINAKKURAL (independent Tamil weekender), 
"Accusation of PA rejected" 
 
- 7/20:  SUNDAY VIRAKESARI (independent Tamil weekender), 
"Foreign countries came forward to help our intelligence 
units ... quit" 
 
- 7/22:  LANKADEEPA (independent Sinhala daily), 
"Intelligence restructuring:  LTTE was instrumental in 
getting rid of the advisors -- says Defence Secretary" 
 
----- 
4. Commentary. 
----- 
 
5. On 7/18, under the headline "American invasion of 
intelligence services," the pro-LTTE SUDAR OLI (independent 
Tamil daily) called the alleged incident "clear proof" of 
U.S. meddling and the insincerity of the GSL as a peace 
partner: 
 
"This is a clear proof that Premier Ranil's government is 
being caught in the American net, little by little. 
 
"The Government, while engaged in peace talks for a 
permanent solution, is preparing to suppress the liberation 
war of the Tamils militarily by strengthening its forces. 
 
"As a step in the implementation of this plan, the 
government is seeking the fullest support of the U.S. 
 
"Bringing American officers into the intelligence services 
is a part of the government's plan to obtain U.S. support 
for joint military exercises, sea operations, and weaponry. 
 
"This attempt of the government to pawn the country to a 
superpower will lead to further complications, from which 
the country will not be able to escape. 
 
"National forces should rise against such government 
actions. Will these forces wake up?" 
 
6. On 7/20 the SUNDAY ISLAND (independent English 
weekender), whose ruling editorial assumption is that the 
GSL is being hoodwinked by the LTTE, said under the 
headlines "spectres of indifference," that it found 
"utterly incomprehensible the inability or unwillingness of 
... officials to protest an act which violates the 
constitution of Sri Lanka and endangers her national 
security.  The total silence of the Minister of Defence ... 
is hardly surprising since he has proven beyond reasonable 
doubt that his job is not to defend the national interests 
of the state of Sri Lanka.  However what about the 
President, the SLFP and those patriots par excellence, the 
JVP?  How come they are yet to say a word about this 
incident?" 
 
7. In contrast, the SUNDAY OBSERVER (government-owned 
English weekender) took a more sardonic tone.  In its 
regular "Periscope" column it wondered:  "Where else can an 
aspiring 007 learn his ropes than at the feet of our 
masters!  What a privilege he had accorded to our 
intelligence gurus.  We should have more disciples like 
this to strengthen our team.  Viva! big brothers and 'big' 
sisters."  However, "Periscope" also made mention of "U.S. 
intelligence success at disrupting the [LTTE's] Cambodian 
operation" of arms smuggling, which, "Periscope" said, was 
"another 'thorn' in the side [which] further reduces the 
efficacy of their 'weapons transfer system.'" 
 
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