O 141038Z APR 09
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TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9792
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UNCLAS COLOMBO 000415 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR SCA (BOUCHER), 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 52 
 
REF:  A) Colombo 413  B) Colombo 412  C) Colombo 411  D) Colombo 402 
 E) Colombo 401  F) Colombo 400  G) Colombo 396  H) Colombo 393  I) 
Colombo 384  J) Colombo 374  K) Colombo 368  L) Colombo 361  M) 
Colombo 360  N) Colombo 321 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY:  Just a few hours before the government-declared 
period of restraint ends at midnight local time on April 14, the 
pause appeared generally to be holding.  The UN, ICRC and Sri Lankan 
health and military authorities were all reporting relatively low 
numbers of wounded, mostly from small-weapons fire.  The Red Cross 
evacuated 460 persons, including wounded and their families, to the 
Indian-staffed field hospital at Pulmoddai on April 13 and planned 
to evacuate about 500 more today.  A government health official 
noted that food supplies were again running low and were desperately 
needed.  Relatively few civilians were able to flee LTTE-controlled 
territory, but the many remaining reportedly feared a resumption of 
intense military activity following the expiration of the New Year 
pause.  The GSL reacted to the intrusion of Tamil protesters into 
their Embassy in Oslo by informing the Norwegian Ambassador that 
Norway's facilitation efforts were no longer viable.  UN sources 
reported that the Secretary General's Chief of Staff Vijay Nambiar 
might pay a low-key visit to Sri Lanka beginning April 15.  New 
Delhi was expecting a Tamil National Alliance parliamentary 
delegation for talks on April 15.  A Co-Chairs conference call 
resolved to continue pressing for an end to the violence and urged 
the conflict parties to spare civilians.  End summary. 
 
Quiet in Safe Zone 
------------------ 
 
¶2.  (SBU) UN and ICRC confirm that Monday was relatively quiet in 
the safe zone.  ICRC reports that 15 persons were wounded by gunfire 
and light shelling, of whom six died on arrival at a makeshift 
health facility in the safe zone.  UN puts the number wounded on 
Monday at 25.  (Note: Embassy discounts much higher casualty figures 
reported by Tamil sources within the no-fire zone which appear 
inconsistent with information reported by the humanitarian 
organizations.) 
 
ICRC Medevacs Underway 
---------------------- 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Over 460 persons, including 250 wounded and sick, were 
evacuated by boat late Monday to Pulmoddai, where the Indian field 
hospital is located.  500 patients await evacuation.  ICRC expects 
to do a further medevac on April 14. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) A government medical officer in the no fire zone confirmed 
the departure of the Red Cross ship with 460 persons for Pulmoddai 
hospital.  He also reported that Puttumutalan hospital had received 
18 civilian injured casualties. He commented that there was a severe 
shortage of food among the IDPs, noting that the last WFP shipment 
was about ten days ago and that the next supply ship had yet to 
arrive.  He added that the civilians in the safe zone were afraid 
there would be a heavy attack by the Sri Lankan Army after the 48 
hour period of restraint expires at midnight on April 14. 
 
Military Reports No Significant Engagements 
------------------------------------------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU) Sri Lankan Army sources noted no significant engagements 
today.  They reported that few civilians have managed to cross over 
to government-controlled territory.  The Air Force told Defense 
Attache that bad weather and low clouds have hampered reconnaissance 
in the past couple of days.  Their observations showed that the LTTE 
was using the pause to reinforce its fighting positions, employing 
at least six back-hoes, and concentrating civilians into the central 
portion of the safe zone and on the seaward side, in order to make 
it more difficult for the civilians to flee.  The Air Force said it 
flew a couple of medevac missions on April 13 to pick up soldiers 
wounded by LTTE snipers. 
 
GSL Suspends Norwegian Facilitation 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) The Foreign Ministry released a statement late Monday 
announcing that in light of Sunday's attack by LTTE supporters on 
the Sri Lankan Embassy in Oslo and Norway's "sheer neglect" of its 
obligation to protect a diplomatic mission, the "Government of Sri 
Lanka perceives that it is no longer feasible to act as facilitator 
in the peace process."  The Norwegians are still assessing the 
possible impact of the government's apparent termination of Norway's 
facilitator role.  The Sri Lankan newspaper Daily Mirror quoted 
Norwegian facilitator Jon Hanssen-Bauer as saying that Norway has 
not been able to have a mediation role in Sri Lanka's civil war 
since the peace process broke down three years ago: "We cannot be 
facilitators in a peace process which has in effect been suspended 
since 2006." 
 
UN Confirms Possible Nambiar Visit 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) UN ResRep Neil Buhne told Ambassador on April 14 that Chief 
of Staff to the UN Secretary General Vijay Nambiar may make a 
low-profile visit to Sri Lanka beginning on the evening of April 15, 
subject to approval by President Rajapaksa. 
 
LTTE Political Wing Calls for Negotiations 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶8.  (U) According to the pro-LTTE website TamilNet, on April 13 the 
LTTE Political Division issued a statement in Tamil calling the GSL 
announcement of restricted military operations a "political drama" 
aimed at "deceiving the International Community and the Tamil 
people." The LTTE statement also reported that the Tigers were 
calling for a permanent ceasefire and political negotiations. 
 
TNA Parliamentarians to New Delhi 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶9.  (U) The Indian wire service IANS reported that the head of the 
Tamil National Alliance parliamentary group Sampanthan will lead a 
delegation of his party to Delhi on April 15 to meet National 
Security Advisor M.K. Narayanan and Foreign Secretary Shivshankar 
Menon. 
 
Co-Chairs Conference Call 
------------------------- 
 
¶10.  (SBU) The Co-Chairs discussed the northern Sri Lankan situation 
via conference call for the second time in four days on April 13. 
The outcomes of the call, convened by Assistant Secretary Richard 
Boucher, included: 
-- Norway will continue to press the LTTE to release civilians 
during the current humanitarian pause. 
-- The U.S. and Japan will continue to seek appointment of a UN 
Special Envoy and his acceptance by the Sri Lankan government. 
--The Co-Chairs reiterated their concerned about the civilians and 
urged both sides to facilitate immediate food/medical shipments and 
medical evacuations. 
-- The Co-Chairs agreed to convene another conference call on April 
15 at 7 am Washington time. 
 
BLAKE