VZCZCXYZ0007
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUEHLM #0342/01 0620646
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 030646Z MAR 06
FM AMEMBASSY COLOMBO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 2763
INFO RUEHCP/AMEMBASSY COPENHAGEN 0156
RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 8998
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 5885
RUEHKT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU 3921
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 2870
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 9355
RUEHNY/AMEMBASSY OSLO 2965
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 2038
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEKDIA/DIA WASHDC
RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS

UNCLAS COLOMBO 000342 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR SA/INS AND PM/WRA 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PHUM EAID CASC MOPS KHDP CE
SUBJECT: SRI LANKA: DEMINING RETURNING TO FULL SPEED 
DESPITE SOME BUMPS 
 
REF: 2005 COLOMBO 2167 
 
SUMMARY 
-------- 
¶1.  (U) NGOs continued humanitarian demining while Sri Lankan 
Army (SLA) deminers were still hunkered down following the 
December and January surge in  attacks on security forces by 
the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).  While remaining 
on operational stand down, Department-funded demining 
contractor RONCO maintained an ambitious training schedule. 
The Commander of the Army has approved the transfer of 400 
soldiers under the authority of the Ministry of Nation 
Building and Development.  SLA worries about the control of 
the explosives have required NGOs to draw a small amount of 
explosives daily to clear mines and have hindered NGO 
demining operations.  Even at the height of recent 
hostilities, the LTTE humanitarian demining unit operated at 
full capacity.  The Halo Trust (HT) and the Danish Demining 
Group (DDG) remain fully engaged in Jaffna despite a high 
rate of employee absenteeism, meanwhile on February 22 
unknown gunmen threatened the Mine Action Group office in 
Batticaloa to stop demining in LTTE territory. END SUMMARY. 
 
STANDDOWN 
--------- 
¶2.  (U) Following their end of year stand-down (Reftel), Halo 
Trust (HT) and Danish Demining Group (DDG) resumed a full 
schedule of demining operations in the Jaffna peninsula as of 
January 9.  Although the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam 
(LTTE) carried out an aggressive campaign against the Sri 
Lankan Army (SLA) in December and January, neither demining 
NGO suffered any interruptions in operations. Due to the 
intensity of LTTE attacks in Jaffna, SLA humanitarian 
demining operations were suspended in December 2005 and the 
soldiers assigned to security duty.  As the violence spread, 
the Mine Detecting Dog (MDD) detachment was airlifted from 
Jaffna to Vavuniya (Reftel), and SLA demining was also 
suspended in Vavuniya for two weeks in mid-January. 
 
HITTING THE BOOKS 
------------- 
¶3.  (SBU) On January 16, the final technical working group 
was convened regarding the SLA Standard Operating Procedures 
(SOP) in Colombo. The key personnel from each of the three 
Military Mine Action Offices (MMAO) were present along with 
Department-funded technical advisors from RONCO, the U.S. 
contractor and BGEN Ananda Chandrasiri, commander of the SLA 
demining squadrons. According to RONCO, two years of training 
combined with hands-on experience in demining operations have 
enabled SLA personnel to contribute valuable and practical 
changes to the SOP.  Designated soldiers also completed 
Advanced Trauma Life Saving courses.  While conducting site 
visits, the RONCO Technical Advisors continue working toward 
increasing the initiative and leadership skills of the 
section leaders (Corporals and Sergeants).  The importance of 
strong mid-level management in demining operations is 
becoming apparent to the section leaders, as many of the 
officers have withdrawn from daily on-site operations to 
focus on the role of the Mine Action Office. 
 
MAKING PROGRESS 
--------------- 
¶4.  (SBU)  Although RONCO was unable to work with and observe 
the SLA during demining operations during the stand down, 
important training and technical improvements continued.  Ten 
students completed a three week para-vet course in January 
adding further capacity to care for the Mine Detecting Dogs 
(MDDs). At the same time,  four soldiers started training on 
the basic operation, maintenance and safety of a variety of 
mechanical mine clearance systems. 
 
CHANGE OF COMMAND AND CONTROL 
----------------------------- 
 
¶6.  (SBU) BGEN Deepal Alwis will assume command of the SLA 
Engineering brigade in March from retiring BGEN Chandrasiri. 
 
Army Commander LGEN Sarath Fonseka has approved the transfer 
of 400 soldiers to the Ministry of Nation Building and 
Development.  This transfer to civilian control will allow 
other foreign governments and humanitarian agencies, who were 
sometimes skittish about funding the military, to contribute 
to the government demining effort. 
 
 
¶7.  (SBU) Although the Commander of Security Forces Jaffna 
set no firm date on when the SLA could return to the 
clearance sites, he took the important first step of 
endorsing the technical survey of minefields contained within 
the High Security Zones.  This move will help speed the 
return of HSZs to civilians when -- and if -- the Government 
decides to do so.  The SLA remains concerned about the 
security of the monthly allotment of explosives issued to 
INGOs to destroy mines in place.  Current procedures place a 
burden on the NGO deminers and are not uniformly adhered to. 
(Note: Demining NGOs are allotted 10Kg of plastic explosives 
a month.  This is half the amount found in an LTTE claymore. 
No explosives have ever been stolen from deminers. End Note.) 
 Since demining INGOs do not have access to Army authorities 
inside the HSZ, a temporary building has been allocated 
inside of the main gate at the Palali camp.  At the first 
meeting between security forces and demining INGOs, held on 
the January 31, INGOs complained about a lack of liaison 
regarding mine clearance issues.  It was agreed that the main 
conduit for this liaison will be the MMAO Coordinator and 
problems should try to be solved at the local level rather 
than in Colombo. 
 
 
FEAR OR TIGER FLU 
----------------- 
¶8.  (SBU)  Although their demining operations have not been 
affected, both Halo Trust and DDG have had high rates of long 
term absenteeism in the recent months.  There are several 
possible reasons, including harassment of Tamil deminers by 
security forces, abduction of the deminers by either pro or 
anti-government forces, the possibility that the absentees 
were actually LTTE cadres recalled to active duty, or the 
missing men were "obliged" to attend LTTE home guard 
training.  The LTTE humanitarian demining units maintained a 
full workload, even during the height of recent hostilities. 
To the east in Batticaloa district, two armed men entered the 
office of the INGO Mine Action Group (MAG) on February 22, 
waving pistols and demanding that MAG stop operations in 
LTTE-held territory.  (Note: MAG, DDG and Norwegian People's 
Aid provide salaries, equipment and technical advice to LTTE 
humanitarian demining units. End Note.) While MAG temporarily 
closed that office, the program manager told poloff that the 
demining tasks in that area were almost complete and that MAG 
intended to reopen and finish the job. 
 
COMMENT 
------- 
¶9.  (SBU)  While the Army has not yet returned to its 
demining duties despite the decrease in LTTE attacks over the 
last month, overall demining efforts continue apace.  Even at 
the height of recent hostilities, the LTTE humanitarian 
demining unit sent representatives to the National Mine 
Action Steering Committee meeting in Colombo to report on 
their progress.  New SLA commanders are learning that 
demining NGOs can be a civil affairs asset and improve the 
security of their own troops by removing old and poorly 
marked mine lines that pose a hazard to their own troops. 
LUNSTEAD