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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 000316 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/INS 
MCC FOR S GROFF, D NASSIRY, E BURKE AND F REID 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER PHUM MOPS CE
SUBJECT: SRI LANKA: 5-YEAR CEASEFIRE ANNIVERSARY INSPIRES 
NEW CALLS FOR WAR 
 
¶1.  (SBU) SUMMARY:  February 22 marks the five-year 
anniversary of the Cease-fire Agreement (CFA), which has 
inspired renewed calls to abandon the peace process.   A 
group of Buddhist monks from the National Bhikku Front, 
officially backed by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), 
mounted a hunger strike on February 20 in Colombo to demand 
the abrogation of the CFA.  Nearly 500 Buddhist monks turned 
out on February 22 to support the hunger strike.  The JVP and 
another Sinhalese nationalist group are expected to join them 
for a rally later in the day.  On February 18, Environment 
Minister Champika Ranawaka, recently sworn in after the 
Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) joined the Government last month, 
publicly advocated the use of extrajudicial means against 
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) sympathizers.  On the 
positive side, prominent Sri Lankan NGO National Peace 
Council organized a symposium "Two Decades of War, Five Years 
of CFA, What Next?" where a broad spectrum of speakers, 
including the Ambassador, spoke in favor of peace, and their 
remarks received wide press coverage.  End Summary. 
 
¶2.  (SBU)  February 22 marks the five year anniversary of the 
Ceasefire Agreement (CFA), which has inspired renewed calls 
from some quarters to abandon the peace process.  The JHU and 
JVP, Sri Lanka's main Sinhalese chauvinist political parties, 
are both agitating for an end to the peace process and the 
CFA. These groups have long held the position that war is the 
only solution to the ethnic conflict.  Recent actions by 
these parties and their leaders suggest a growing impatience 
with the peace process. 
 
¶3.  (SBU)  A group of Buddhist monks from the National Bhikku 
Front, officially backed by the JVP, mounted a hunger strike 
on February 20 in a Colombo city park to demand the 
abrogation of the CFA.  JVP leader Somawansa Amarasinghe and 
JVP parliamentary floor leader Wimal Weerawansa visited the 
site on February 20 and offered their support for the 
demonstration.  One protesting monk this week called United 
National Party (UNP) leader Ranil Wickremesinghe a traitor 
for signing the CFA and said that the President would also be 
branded a traitor if he fails to abrogate it by February 22. 
Nearly 500 Buddhist monks turned out the morning of February 
22 to support the hunger strike.  The JVP and the National 
Movement Against Terrorism, another Sinhalese nationalist 
group, also plan to join the monks for a rally later today. 
Venerable Dhambara Amila Thero, President of the National 
Bhikku Front, offered meditation at the Temple of the Tooth 
in Kandy to bring about the abrogation of the CFA, which he 
claims has divided Sri Lanka and opened the door for foreign 
intervention. 
 
¶4.  (SBU)  On February 18, Environment Minister Champika 
Ranawaka, recently sworn in after the JHU officially joined 
the Government last month, told a local newspaper that if 
LTTE sympathizers cannot be suppressed within the law "we 
need to use any other ways and means."   Local observers 
perceive this as a call for the illegal use of force against 
Tamils, not just the LTTE.  Several media groups have 
protested his statement as an irresponsible position for a 
sitting Cabinet Minister to take. 
 
¶5.  (SBU)  On the positive side, the National Peace Council, 
a prominent Sri Lankan NGO, organized a symposium "Two 
Decades of War, Five Years of CFA, What Next?"  The NPC 
invited the full spectrum of religious leaders, leading civil 
society representatives, some politicians, and the 
Ambassadors or High Commissioners of the U.S., Norway, Japan, 
Canada and Australia.  All speakers spoke eloquently in favor 
of peace, and their remarks received wide press coverage. 
Ambassador focused his remarks on the important opportunity 
Sri Lanka now has to achieve peace given the strong 
parliamentary majority the President now has, and the good 
 
COLOMBO 00000316  002 OF 002 
 
 
prospect that the opposition UNP will support a serious 
devolution package that would thereby give the President more 
than enough votes to amend the Constitution (full text on 
Embassy Web site). 
 
¶6.  (SBU)  COMMENT:  Both the JVP and JHU have consistently 
called for the abrogation of the CFA.  The JHU, since joining 
the Government, has been somewhat less vocal.  However, the 
JVP, no longer allied with the Rajapaksa administration, now 
has fewer restraints on voicing its complaints against the 
Government and the CFA.  The President is sensitive to 
pressure from these parties since they share his home 
constituency and support base in the conservative South. 
However, the President appears confident that he can 
neutralize the challenge from the JVP by holding out the 
prospect of a snap parliamentary election, in which his own 
SLFP would expect to gain seats at the expense of the JVP. 
BLAKE