O 301127Z MAR 09
FM AMEMBASSY COLOMBO
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9679
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 000357 
 
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: PREF MOPS PHUM PGOV PREL ASEC CE
SUBJECT: Northern Sri Lanka SitRep 42 
 
Ref:  A) Colombo 351  B) Colombo 342  C) Colombo 329  D) Colombo 321 
 E) Colombo 320  F) Colombo 316  G) Colombo 310  H) Colombo 307  I) 
Colombo 304  J) Colombo 299  K) Colombo 294 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: The Foreign Minister announced the GSL would 
suspend attacks against the LTTE for a short period of time.  He did 
not indicate when the suspension would begin.  1000MT of food and 
non-food items are set to be delivered to the safe zone on March 31. 
 Basil Rajapaksa outlined steps the GSL planned to take to address 
overcrowding in IDP camps.  Rajapaksa also pledged to turn over GSL 
lists of camp inhabitants to the ICRC and UNHCR.  The ICRC continues 
to face delays securing visas for its staff.  DCM turned over five 
emergency kits with medicine and supplies for 50,000 persons to the 
Minister of Health today (March 30). End Summary. 
 
Foreign Minister: GSL will suspend attacks 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶2. (U) Media reports quoted Foreign Minister Bogollagama on March 30 
declaring that the government had decided to "suspend attacks 
against the LTTE for a short period of time to provide humanitarian 
relief aid to civilians in the safe zone and to open several safe 
passages for them to move into state-administered areas." 
Bogollagama did not indicate when such a suspension would begin, but 
we presume it is to pressure the LTTE to agree.  On March 29 the 
Sunday Times lead story quoted Defence Spokesman Keheliya 
Rambukwella stating "we are ready for this 'humanitarian pause' as 
suggested by the United Nations Security Council... if it will pave 
the way to rescue civilians used as human shields by the LTTE." 
 
1000MT of Food To Go In March 31 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (U) The Commissioner General of Essential Services confirmed 
during the monthly Coordinating Committee for Humanitarian 
Assistance (CCHA) meeting that the "Dublin" cargo ship would deliver 
1000 MT of food, including vegetables, to the "safe zone" on March 
¶31.  UNHCR emergency kits containing clothing (4000 pieces), bed 
sheets (2000), shelter material (2000 sheets, 2000 mats) as well as 
hygiene kits (1000) will be included in the shipment.  A full 
readout of the CCHA meeting will be reported septel. 
 
Basil Pledges Efforts 
to Relieve Overcrowding 
----------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) At the CCHA meeting Ambassador highlighted the continuing 
problem of overcrowding in the IDP camps and the need to resettle 
IDPs quickly and urged the government to clear new land where 
additional camps could be established.  Senior Presidential Advisor 
Basil Rajapaksa reported that local NGOs would shortly be building 
additional shelters for up to 500 families in the IDP camps and 
reported that GSL officials, local NGOs and the U.N. would be 
meeting on the evening of March 30 to agree on a wider plan to 
accommodate the possible influx of IDPs from the safe zone. 
Rajapaksa also re-committed the government to resettling IDPs in 
Mannar, specifically up to 5,500 IDPs from the Mussali area by the 
end of April.  (Note: It is unclear at this point whether demining 
NGOs will grant a required low-risk certificate for the area to the 
 
U.N. before the April deadline.)  GSL officials reported that they 
were exploring new locations to house IDPs in Mannar as well as 
Trincomalee district, north of the former forward defense lines. 
 
GSL Commits to Turnover IDP 
Lists to ICRC and UNHCR 
--------------------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) Ambassador also raised the military's heavy presence in the 
camps and continuing reports of disappearances affecting the IDP 
population.  Ambassador pointed out to Rajapaksa that the GSL had 
authoritative lists of camp residents that they could turn over to 
the ICRC and UNHCR to help verify the extent of the problem. 
Rajapaksa agreed to share the list with the UN and ICRC to improve 
transparency. 
 
No Progress on ICRC Visas 
------------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has not 
received MFA clearance for 35 pending visas for staff to provide 
short-term surge capacity as well as regular replacements. 
Ambassador earlier raised the issue with the Foreign Minister (ref 
H) on March 18.  ICRC head Paul Castella reported that during a 
discussion with Basil Rajapaksa on March 27 Rajapaksa insisted that 
MFA has responsibility for issuing the visas.  Ambassador again 
raised the issue with the Foreign Minister on March 28 who promised 
to look into the matter.  Castella plans to meet Bogollagama early 
this week. 
 
U.S. Donates Primary Care Medicine 
and Supplies for Treatment of IDPs 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶7. (U) Five emergency health kits containing medicine and supplies 
that can provide primary treatment for 50,000 persons for three 
months were turned over today to Minister of Health Nimal Siripala 
de Silva by DCM.  The medicine and supplies will be used by 
hospitals in the North that have been strained by new IDP caseloads. 
 USAID's Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) provided 
$77,000 for the kits (some of the contents are donated by NGOs), 
transportation, and end use monitoring.  The donation was 
facilitated by U.S. NGO Medical Teams International (MTI).  The 
donation followed a request from the Minister of Health when the 
Ambassador recently presented one emergency health kit that had been 
funded by MTI. 
 
504 Hardcore Cadres Sent to Rehabilitation 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶8. (SBU) The Sinhalese language newspaper Rivira reported that 504 
"hardcore (LTTE) cadres" had been identified among the tens of 
thousands of escapees from Tiger-held territory and "had been sent 
for rehabilitation."  Post is attempting to determine their 
whereabouts and whether ICRC has been granted access to the 
suspected cadres to ensure their humane treatment while in GSL 
custody. 
 
Nationalist Politician Attacks Norway 
 
and U/SYG Holmes; Ambassador Responds 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶9. (U) Reports of U/SYG Holmes' contact with LTTE's diplomatic point 
person Kumaran Padmanadan (KP) set off a firestorm in the 
nationalist press.  National Freedom Front leader and President 
Rajapaksa's political ally Wimal Weerawansa demanded that the 
government sever ties with Norway over their purported role 
facilitating the contact.  To correct widespread misperceptions 
about the nature of the UN-LTTE communication, Ambassador posted a 
comment on a widely-read newspaper website: "Conversations such as 
the telephone conversation between UN Humanitarian Chief Sir John 
Holmes and KP referred to by Mr. Weerawansa were solely for the 
purpose of persuading the LTTE to allow civilians to leave and 
observe international humanitarian law.  The conversations in no way 
constitute an endorsement of the terrorist activities of the LTTE." 
 
Gov't Claims Sea Tiger Casualties 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶10. (SBU) The Navy claimed that at least 25 Sea Tigers and a sailor 
were killed and 3 more sailors injured in sea battle off Mullaitivu 
on March 30.  The news report also stated that 4 LTTE boats were 
destroyed.  (Note: the account from military sources appears 
one-sided.  So far, the TamilNet website has carried no news of the 
encounter.) 
 
Civilian Casualties and IDP Outflow 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶11.  (SBU) Sources from within the LTTE-controlled area report 161 
civilians were killed and 214 injured on March 27-29.  These sources 
report 350 arrivals into overnment-controlled territory on March 
¶29. (Not: Such reports from Tamil sources cannot be confired and 
are frequently exaggerated.) 
 
BLAKE