VZCZCXRO5292
OO RUEHBI RUEHLMC
DE RUEHLM #1680/01 3530355
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 190355Z DEC 07
FM AMEMBASSY COLOMBO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7381
RUEHBK/AMEMBASSY BANGKOK 3347
RUEHKT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU 5765
RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 0602
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 7589
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 4187
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 1664
RUEHNY/AMEMBASSY OSLO 4197
RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA 1233
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 3293
RUEHCG/AMCONSUL CHENNAI 8190
RUEHBI/AMCONSUL MUMBAI 5765
RUEHON/AMCONSUL TORONTO 0486
RUEHLMC/MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORPORATION
INFO RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
RHHMUNA/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI//J3/J332/J52//
RHMFIUU/CDRUSARPAC FT SHAFTER HI//APCW/APOP//
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 2507

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 04 COLOMBO 001680 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/INS AND PRM, MPITTOTI 
STATE ALSO PASS TO USAID 
AID/W FOR ANE/SA 
AID/W FOR DCHA/FFP 
AID/W FOR DCHA/OFDA KLUU, ACONVERY, RTHAYER, JNUTTALL, 
HSHEPPARD, SBISWAS 
KATHMANDU FOR DCHA/OFDA REGIONAL ADVISOR WBERGER 
BANGKOK FOR DCHA/OFDA REGIONAL ADVISOR TDOLAN 
USMISSION GENEVA FOR NKYLOH 
KATHMANDU FOR OFDA WBERGER 
USMISSION GENEVA FOR NKYLOH 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID PGOV PHUM PREF PINS CE
SUBJECT:  Sri Lanka - DCHA/FFP Monitoring Report on WFP 
Protracted Relief and Recovery Operation 
 
REF: COLOMBO 12598 
 
¶1. Summary: From November 25 to December 4, 2007 
USAID/DCHA Food for Peace Officer (FFP/O) visited Sri 
Lanka to monitor the UN World Food Program (WFP) 
Protracted Relief and Recovery Operation (PRRO), which 
receives U.S. Title II Emergency Assistance. FFP/O 
visited multiple sites in the conflict affected district 
of Vavuniya and discussed future funding possibilities 
with the Mission and WFP. 
 
¶2. FFP is supportive of the current WFP PRRO in Sri 
Lanka, which addresses the acute needs of the conflict 
affected persons.  WFP reported that the rate at which 
commodity is reaching the final beneficiary has improved; 
however, as the security situation is constantly 
changing, it is not known whether these improvements will 
remain.  Due to concerns over a possible major GSL 
offensive against the LTTE in the North, WFP, along with 
other UN agencies, has developed contingency plans to 
respond to potential mass displacement. End Summary. 
 
----------- 
Background: 
----------- 
 
¶3. The WFP PRRO in Sri Lanka has been providing 
assistance to over 1 million persons annually since 2005. 
Per the WFP budget revision approved in October 2007, the 
PRRO has been extended through December 2008 with 
activities focused on displaced and conflict affected 
persons through vulnerable group feeding, food for work, 
mother child nutrition and food for education activities. 
 
¶4. In FY07 USAID/DCHA/FFP in-kind contributions of wheat, 
lentils and vegetable oil totaled USD 14 million. The 
commodities are currently being used and WFP has reported 
positive feedback regarding their consumption by 
beneficiaries. FFP has recently made another contribution 
in FY08 valued at USD 6 million which is estimated to 
arrive in April FY08. 
 
¶5. FFP was last in Sri Lanka for a monitoring trip in 
July 2007 and produced cable Colombo 12598 for reference. 
 
------------------------ 
Update on WFP Operation: 
------------------------ 
 
¶6. WFP reported that the rate at which commodity is 
reaching the final beneficiary in the conflict-affected 
populations in northern and eastern Sri Lanka has 
improved over the past 6 months with greater access and 
fewer transport delays affecting WFP operations. However, 
as the security situation is constantly changing, it is 
not known whether these improvements will remain. The GSL 
military imposed new restrictions on the movement of 
goods and persons after multiple acts of violence in 
Colombo and in Kilinochchi during the week of November 
 
COLOMBO 00001680  002 OF 004 
 
 
24-28. Examples include stopping the train line from 
entering into Vavuniya, preventing civilians from re- 
entry south through the checkpoint and adding further 
checks in the Medawachchiya checkpoint. 
 
¶7. The GSL has an arrangement with WFP to allow WFP 
trucks that have specific seals to cross into the Vanni 
(uncleared areas) without being opened and unloaded. To 
date, this arrangement has succeeded in preventing the 
trucks from being searched at the checkpoints but delays 
still exist as the drivers and cabins are searched. 
Private trucks that accompany WFP trucks carrying such 
items as fuel must be completely unloaded and searched. 
This process also applies to the private trucks hired by 
the GSL carrying food commodities for humanitarian 
relief.  WFP states that the restrictions in movement 
often make it difficult to monitor the final distribution 
points in the Vanni. The GSL requires several days notice 
for the approval of international staff to travel across 
checkpoints and has recently shut down the Mannar 
checkpoint completely, which means WFP must travel much 
farther to get into the northern Mannar area.  In 
addition, WFP and INGOs report that national staff 
continue to be harassed and intimidated by various armed 
groups which further hampers the ability to monitor 
operations. Government officials in Vavuniya reported 
that the situation has improved dramatically in the last 
three months in terms of security in the city, but INGOs 
and the UN still report that such incidents occur 
throughout the Vanni, especially in more rural settings. 
As the local Government Agent in Vavuniya stated, ?until 
the conflict is over and peace is restored, the support 
of WFP and the UN is very necessary.? 
 
¶8. The recent shelling by GSL security forces of the LTTE 
Voice of Tigers transmitter station in Kilinochchi 
damaged WFP offices and residences. While WFP staff did 
not incur any injuries, the buildings were clearly marked 
as UN property and as such, the UN has condemned this 
action by the GSL. 
 
¶9. The IDP registration process is functioning relatively 
well; WFP is confident in the beneficiary numbers and 
believes there is minimal double-counting. However, local 
government agents in Vavuniya explained that IDPs must 
cancel registration cards in one district before 
receiving a new registration card from a new district and 
this proved difficult for some who had to leave quickly 
and are unable to return. This can prevent some 
vulnerable persons from receiving humanitarian food for a 
period of time. 
 
¶10. Due to concerns over a possible major GSL offensive 
against the LTTE in the North, WFP, along with other UN 
agencies, has developed contingency plans to respond to 
potential mass displacement.  WFP is in the final stages 
of building a regional hub with multiple large warehouses 
and space for additional warehouses to be installed, if 
needed, in Vavuniya. This will enable them to serve the 
 
COLOMBO 00001680  003 OF 004 
 
 
humanitarian food needs of an additional 100,000 IDPs 
should a major offensive take place.  This regional hub 
is in addition to the warehouses in Vavuniya, which have 
a capacity of 1000mt to serve the immediate area.  In 
addition to their own commodities, WFP stores and 
transports food and non-food items for other UN agencies 
and INGOs through their special operation 10539.0; these 
warehouses also store commodities for Unicef, Danish 
Relief Council and World Vision. The worst case 
predictions by the local government estimate IDPs could 
reach 300,000 in Vavuniya, however, due to the shelf 
lives of food commodities; WFP cannot preposition stocks 
for more than 100,000 additional IDPs. 
 
¶11. While WFP and INGOs have reported that their 
commodities have been used in specific cases in 
particular districts for political reasons by local 
government authorities, based on discussions with WFP in 
Colombo and Vavuniya, these are very isolated instances 
and do not occur in Vavuniya or most areas of the Vanni. 
 
¶12. As rice is the primary commodity used in the WFP PRRO 
in Sri Lanka, the current shortage of rice in country is 
having an effect on the WFP distributions. The GSL has 
been very hesitant to allow the importation of rice but 
WFP has reported that they recently received permission 
to import 3000mt of rice from Japan for humanitarian use 
which will improve the pipeline. Multiple reasons for the 
short supply are attributed in the media, discussions 
with local government authorities and INGOs including: a 
significant portion, up to forty percent, of the arable 
land is located in the non-accessible area and was 
therefore not planted; suppliers are facing high 
transport and processing costs and have raised prices; 
and suppliers are hoarding supply to maintain the 
artificially high price. The next rice harvest in 
January/February will alleviate some of the shortage 
currently being faced. However, much of the rice is 
planted in the northern LTTE controlled areas and in 
order for WFP to procure it, the GSL requires they 
transport the rice into southern Sri Lanka for 
processing. This incurs additional costs as it is shipped 
or trucked back into the North. 
 
¶13. The partnership that WFP has with the GSL requires 
the GSL to provide rations for IDPs from the previous 
conflict and/or the Tsunami. WFP, in turn provides for 
any IDPs displaced since August 2006. While the WFP 
commodities are provided based on kilo/cal needed per 
day, the GSL rations are based on pre-established funding 
levels. This level was determined in 1995 and has not 
been reassessed, so the amount of commodity it can 
purchase has decreased. IDPs who receive this government 
ration report that it does not buy enough food. WFP is in 
discussions with the GSL to revisit the issue. 
 
 
 
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COLOMBO 00001680  004 OF 004 
 
 
Conclusion: 
----------- 
 
¶14. FFP is supportive of the current WFP PRRO in Sri 
Lanka that addresses the acute needs of the conflict 
affected persons. As the conflict evolves, FFP will 
remain in close contact with the Mission and WFP 
regarding food aid related needs.  FFP recommends future 
discussions in collaboration with the Mission and WFP on 
the development of the next WFP operation to begin 
January 2009. 
Blake