O 201008Z MAR 09
FM AMEMBASSY COLOMBO
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9624
INFO AMEMBASSY ATHENS 
AMEMBASSY BANGKOK 
AMEMBASSY DHAKA 
AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 
AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU 
AMEMBASSY LONDON 
AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 
AMEMBASSY OSLO 
AMEMBASSY TOKYO 
AMCONSUL CHENNAI 
AMCONSUL MUMBAI 
AMCONSUL TORONTO 
USEU BRUSSELS
USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 
USMISSION GENEVA 
HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI
DIA WASHINGTON DC
NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
SECDEF WASHDC
CDRUSARPAC FT SHAFTER HI//APCW/APOP//
CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI//J3/J332/J52//

UNCLAS COLOMBO 000316 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR SCA (BOUCHER, CAMP), SCA/INS AND PRM 
STATE ALSO PASS USAID 
AID/W FOR ANE/SCA, DCHA/FFP (DWORKEN, KSHEIN) 
AID/W FOR DCHA/OFDA (MORRISP, ACONVERY, RTHAYER, RKERR) 
ATHENS FOR PCARTER 
BANGKOK FOR USAID/DCHA/OFDA (WBERGER) 
KATHMANDU FOR USAID/DCHA/OFDA AND POL (SBERRY) 
GENEVA FOR RMA (NKYLOH, NHILGERT, MPITOTTI) 
USUN NEW YORK FOR ECOSOC (D MERCADO) 
SECDEF FOR OSD - POLICY 
PACOM ALSO FOR J-5 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: MOPS PREF PHUM PGOV PREL ASEC CE
SUBJECT: Northern Sri Lanka SitRep 36 
 
Ref:  A) Colombo 310  B) Colombo 307  C) Colombo 304  D) Colombo 299 
 E) Colombo 294  F) Colombo 287  G) Colombo 282  H) Colombo 279  I) 
Colombo 277  J) Colombo 265  K) Colombo 258  K) Colombo 250 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary: The Government claims sufficient medicine has 
been sent to civilians trapped in the conflict zone; however, ICRC 
reconfirms that there have been no recent medical shipments. 
According to UN local staff, LTTE fighters have become reluctant to 
challenge or fire on large groups of escaping civilians.  Many are 
taking the opportunity to flee; UNHCR reports 3,200 new arrivals 
from the conflict area during the period March 14-20.  USAID officer 
who traveled to Mannar and Vavuniya on March 16-19 reports possible 
significant malnutrition among new arrivals, and overcrowded 
conditions in Vavuniya.  End Summary. 
 
IDPs Fleeing Conflict Zone 
-------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) UNHCR confirms a spike in new arrivals from the conflict 
zone in the last week (March 14-20), with 3,200 civilians entering 
Government-controlled territory.  The Government reports 48,611 IDPs 
have fled the conflict area in recent months.  A UN contact reported 
to Defense Attache on March 19 that the remaining local UN staff 
workers and their families (20 persons) were likely to depart from 
the conflict zone that night.  Twenty-seven UN local staff departed 
on March 17-18 (nine by boat, who were picked up by the Sri Lankan 
Navy).  According to this contact, these UN local staff report that 
the LTTE are less committed than before and are losing their will to 
fight.  UN staff reports indicate that the LTTE have become more 
reluctant in the last few days to challenge or fire on IDPs 
travelling in large groups vice small groups or families, indicating 
they realize they could face a widespread revolt.  (Comment: This 
change may be the result of the March 17 retaliation against LTTE by 
civilians.)  The civilians are using this to their advantage to 
flee.  On March 19, OFDA Regional Advisor witnessed the arrival at 
Manik Farms, Vavuniya of some 500 civilians newly departed from the 
conflict area.  An OCHA representative in Vavuniya estimates there 
are still some 150,000-180,000 people trapped in the conflict area. 
 
ICRC Evacuations 
---------------- 
 
¶3.  (SBU) The ICRC-leased ferry Green Ocean departed Trincomalee on 
the evening of March 19 and is expected to bring wounded and sick 
evacuees from the safe zone to  the Indian field hospital in 
Pulmoddai today (March 20) before returning to Trincomalee.  ICRC 
has undertaken at least 12 evacuation operations since February 11, 
and has evacuated nearly 5,000 people from the conflict area. 
 
Pressing Needs in Conflict Area 
------------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (SBU) 1,000 MT of food (most of it from the U.S.) have been 
successfully delivered to the trapped civilians in the last two 
weeks (March 8-19).  500 MT of food is sufficient to meet food 
requirements of a population of 143,000 for one week.  In addition 
to safety and food, the most urgent needs of the civilians are water 
 
and medicine.  ICRC Deputy Head of Delegation confirms that despite 
Government assertions, no medical supplies at all have been sent to 
the conflict area since February 20, and even then it was a small 
delivery which did not include anesthetics.  On March 20 
government-owned Tamil daily "Thinakaran" reported that Minister of 
Disaster Management and Human Rights Mahinda Samarasinghe claimed 
the Government has provided sufficient food and medicine for the 
trapped population.  He further claimed that information regarding 
shortages of medicines is false LTTE propaganda.  He stated that, 
"during the last three days we have dispatched 52 kinds of 
medicines, including antibiotics, to the Medical Distribution Center 
in Trincomalee to be sent through the Sri Lankan Navy to Mullaitivu 
under the direction Regional Navy Commander."  (Note: Embassy will 
closely monitor whether the supplies are in fact delivered in the 
coming days.) 
 
USAID Observations on IDP Sites 
------------------------------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU) USAID Food for Peace officer traveled to Mannar and 
Vavuniya on March 16-19 to view IDP camps and to meet with 
government officials and representatives of humanitarian agencies. 
The Medical Superintendent of Mannar hospital who noted to USAID 
officer that "most of the 178 children recently arriving from the 
Vanni were malnourished", according to a weight-for-height screening 
methodology.  Unofficial, preliminary results of a UNICEF nutrition 
survey in the Vavuniya IDP sites indicate high rates of severe 
wasting and anemia among recent arrivals from the conflict area. 
Several NGOs are considering providing (with ECHO funding) 
complementary food items to supplement food rations for the first 
two weeks after IDPs' arrival.  World Food Program confirms that 
there are enough food stocks currently in Vavuniya warehouses to 
provide survival rations (1900kCals/person/day) to 100,000 IDPs for 
a period of one month. 
 
¶5.  (SBU) USAID Food for Peace Officer also visited Nellukulam IDP 
site in Vavuniya, where over 3,000 newly arrived IDPs reside.  He 
noted a marked military presence in the camps and overcrowded 
conditions.  Sanitary conditions were substandard, with no soap and 
little water near latrines for hygiene.  Camp residents expressed 
concerns to USAID officer regarding medical issues (heart ailments, 
scabies mentioned among others), diarrhea among children due to 
change in diet, separation of family members, and lack of work. 
 
Reported Civilian Casualties 
---------------------------- 
 
¶6.  (SBU) Tamil sources from within the LTTE-controlled area report 
38 civilians were killed and 90 injured on March 19.  These sources 
report 2,169 arrivals into Government-controlled territory on March 
19 of which 1,983 reached Puthukudiyiruppu, 29 reached Jaffna, and 
  131 (37 males, 28 females, 66 children) were rescued by Navy. 
(Note: Such reports from Tamil sources cannot be confirmed and are 
frequently exaggerated.) 
 
BLAKE