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Reference ID	Created	Released	Classification	Origin
09COLOMBO351	2009-03-27 10:45	2011-08-26 00:00	UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY	Embassy Colombo

O 271045Z MAR 09
FM AMEMBASSY COLOMBO
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9671
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 000351 
 
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 41 
 
Ref:  A)  Colombo 342  B) Colombo 329  C) Colombo 321  D) Colombo 
320  E) Colombo 316  F) Colombo 310  G) Colombo 307  H) Colombo 304 
I) Colombo 299  J) Colombo 294  K) Colombo 287 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Summary:  Contrary to various reports that the LTTE 
retains control over just one square kilometer of land in addition 
to the "safe zone", the Sri Lankan army continues to face heavy 
fighting a few kilometers west of the "safe zone".  The Ministry of 
Resettlement has instructed two international non-governmental 
organizations to hand over assets of its projects in the North. 
Ambassador accompanied the CARE Country Director to a meeting with 
Basil Rajapaksa to answer charges published on the MOD website that 
CARE was a "harbor for terrorists."  Rajapaksa agreed to have the 
article removed from the website by March 30.  The number of new 
arrivals into Government-controlled territory decreased on March 
25-26.  Embassy thanks Deputy Kathmandu RefCoord Eileen Sen for her 
tremendous help during a six-week TDY that ends today.  End 
Summary. 
 
Conflict Area Shrinks... but Not That Much 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) According to the Government-owned newspaper Daily News, 
Defense Affairs Spokesman Minister Keheliya Rambukwella attests the 
LTTE has been confined to just 21 square kilometers, including the 
"safe zone" of 20 square kilometers (post believes actual land mass 
of the safe zone is 14 square kilometers).  While there are credible 
reports that fighting is ongoing within a few hundred meters of the 
safe zone, post believes the LTTE continues to defend a larger 
amount of land.  Separate reports indicate LTTE still holds some 35 
square kilometers.  In addition, the Government also detailed on 
March 26 ongoing heavy fighting in eastern Puthukkudiyiruppu (PTK), 
which is a few kilometers west of the conflict zone. 
 
Government Asks INGOs to Hand over Assets 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶3.  (SBU) The Ministry of Resettlement provided two international 
non-governmental organizations, ACTED and Danish Refugee Council 
(DRC), with an agreement template they are instructed to sign by 
March 30 in order to continue implementing projects in the North. 
Under its terms and conditions, the INGOs must hand over all funds, 
stocks, and assets of their projects to the Ministry of Resettlement 
which would directly implement the projects.  In addition, this 
agreement would prevent the INGOs from reporting directly to donors. 
 Should the Government continue to press INGOs to sign the 
agreement, the organizations would be unable to meet contractual 
obligations and would not continue the projects.  The INGOs advise 
that the Government has proposed these terms on three prior 
occasions, but abandoned the effort after donor and international 
pressure.  Embassy will continue to monitor and will raise with the 
Government. 
 
CARE Meets with GSL to Allay Concerns 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶4.  (SBU) After a highly disturbing article appeared on the Ministry 
of Defense website on March 23 alleging that CARE was a "harbor for 
terrorists," Ambassador arranged for CARE Country Director Nick 
 
Osborne to meet with Basil Rajapaksa on March 27 and accompanied him 
to the meeting.  Osborne rebutted allegations that a local CARE 
staffer recently killed in the safe zone was an LTTE cadre.  He also 
said CARE is cooperating fully with a GSL investigation into whether 
a CARE local staffer used a CARE vehicle to smuggle explosives out 
of the Vanni.  The worker and the vehicle remain trapped in the safe 
zone, and therefore cannot be turned over to authorities.  Rajapaksa 
expressed appreciation for the clarifications.  It was agreed that 
Osborne would write a letter to Rajapaksa to explain these issues in 
more detail, which Rajapaksa will share with MOD and other 
appropriate authorities.  Rajapaksa undertook to have the article 
removed from the MOD website by March 30. 
 
Reported Civilian Casualties and Outflow 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Pro-LTTE website Tamilnet.org reports 46 civilians were 
killed in the conflict area, including 17 children, and 96 injured 
on March 26.  (Note: Tamilnet reports cannot be confirmed and are 
frequently exaggerated.)  The Government reports 165 civilians 
entered Government-controlled territory on March 25-26, a drop from 
the higher numbers of new arrivals seen in the last ten days. 
 
Goodbye and Thanks to Eileen 
---------------------------- 
 
¶6.  (U) Today marks the last day of a six-week TDY in Colombo by 
Kathmandu Deputy Refugee Coordinator Eileen Sen.  Eileen has 
prepared most of the sitreps over that period and made a tremendous 
contribution.  Thanks Eileen! 
 
BLAKE

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Viewing cable 09COLOMBO351, Northern Sri Lanka SitRep 41