O 171142Z APR 09
FM AMEMBASSY COLOMBO
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9821
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 000432 
 
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 55 
 
Ref:  A) Colombo 425  B) Colombo 418  C) Colombo 414  D) Colombo 413 
 E) Colombo 412  F) Colombo 411  G) Colombo 402  H) Colombo 401  I) 
Colombo 400  J) Colombo 396  K) Colombo 393  L) Colombo 384 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: The visit of the UN Secretary General's Chief of 
Staff Vijay Nambiar brought limited progress, with some prospect of 
a working-level UN mission to try to negotiate the release of 
greater numbers of civilians from the LTTE-controlled "safe zone." 
The UN resident coordinator in Colombo reported that secretary 
general Ban Ki-Moon had discussed Sri Lanka on April 16 with both 
the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Solana and US Perm 
Rep Susan Rice.  A priest who had been serving the population in the 
LTTE-control area until two weeks ago briefed us on conditions in 
the safe zone.  He noted that nearly all the civilians in the 
LTTE-controlled area would leave if they could.  He said the LTTE 
had pushed back an attempt by the Army to penetrate into the safe 
zone and split it.  Over 1000 MT of food are being loaded onto a WFP 
ship bound for the safe zone, but it uncertain whether the military 
will give permission for medical supplies to be included.  The ICRC 
evacuated 462 wounded on April 17; 400 additional wounded are 
waiting to be evacuated.   UNHCR reports 63,386 IDPs in camps in 
Vavuniya, Mannar and Jaffna.  A delegation of the pro-LTTE Tamil 
National Alliance held meetings in Delhi and urged the Indians to 
pressure the government to cease military operations.  End summary. 
 
NAMBIAR VISIT BRINGS LIMITED PROGRESS 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶2.  (SBU) UNSYG Chief of Staff Nambiar reported to Co-Chair 
Ambassadors limited progress with senior Sri Lankan officials on 
obtaining a lengthier cease fire and time for diplomacy to persuade 
the LTTE to lay down arms and let civilians go.  The President and 
his brother, Defense Secretary Gothabaya Rajapaksa, opposed any 
longer pause on the grounds it would only help the LTTE regroup, 
forcibly recruit more civilians, and train them to fight the Sri 
Lankan military.  Foreign Ministry officials took a somewhat more 
nuanced position, holding open the possibility of a UN working-level 
mission to the safety zone to try to negotiate the release of more 
civilians via a seaborne evacuation.  Embassy will report details on 
the two meetings septel. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) UN resident coordinator Neil Buhne told us that Secretary 
General Ban Ki-Moon had written to President Rajapaksa asking that 
the pause be extended.  Ban met EU High Representative for Foreign 
Affairs Javier Solana and U.S. PermRep Susan Rice separately on 
April 16, Buhne noted.  Sri Lanka had figured in both meetings, but 
was not the focus.  Buhne added that UN Rapporteur for the Human 
Rights of Displaced Persons Walter Kaelin had drafted proposals on 
appropriate treatment of the IDs which he will communicate to the 
GSL very soon, including points on protection issues and camp 
conditions.  Buhne had not yet seen the proposals. 
 
¶4. (SBU) Buhne informed us that at least 1000 MT of food were being 
loaded today to go to the safe zone.  The intention was that the 
ship would also carry medical supplies, but it was not yet certain 
that the Sri Lankan Defense Ministry would grant approval.  The ICRC 
reported that it evacuated 462 wounded on April 17; 400 additional 
wounded are waiting to be evacuated. 
 
Conditions in Safe Zone 
----------------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) A priest who departed the "safe zone" a couple of weeks 
ago, and who is in daily contact with his colleagues still there, 
briefed us on current conditions inside the LTTE-held area.  His 
contacts reported heavy small arms fire in the zone during the 2-day 
cease fire on April 13-14.  The priest also reported the SLA had 
attempted to push into and split the safe zone on the morning of 
April 16 (Ref A) but that the LTTE repelled the attack. 
 
¶6. (SBU) The priest explained that with only three villages left 
under LTTE control, it is now much more difficult for civilians to 
evade detection by the LTTE when attempting to escape than it was 
just a few weeks ago.  Civilians are largely staying in bunkers at 
this point, because there is a high danger of being shot by either 
the LTTE or the SLA if they try to cross over the lines, and high 
danger of being forcibly recruited by the LTTE if they emerge for 
any other reason.  Sources are now having difficulty getting out 
among the population and gathering quality information, including 
precise numbers of killed and wounded civilians. 
 
¶7.  (SBU) According to the priest, the residents of the safe zone 
believe the last big battle will take place there, with the LTTE 
mixed in with the civilian population.  The priest reported that in 
the last 3-4 months the LTTE have been much harder on the civilians 
under their control, and with the result that the civilians had now 
turned against the LTTE.  All the civilians in the zone want to get 
out, according to the priest, but they know there are no escape 
routes open to them.  Multiple sources have confirmed that the LTTE 
decides which wounded are evacuated, after doctors make their 
recommendations on who needs the most urgent medical attention. 
 
63,386 IDPs in Government Custody 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶8. (SBU) UNHCR reports that 63,386 individuals have left 
LTTE-controlled territory since October 27, 2008 and are being held 
in IDP camps.  The vast majority (57,518) are in 17 different camps 
in Vavuniya district, with most of the balance in Jaffna district. 
An additional 1,500 individuals who have left LTTE-territory are 
undergoing treatment in hospitals in the North and the East. 
 
TNA in Delhi 
------------ 
 
¶9. (U) R. Sampanthan, the leader of the pro-LTTE Tamil National 
Alliance (TNA) led a delegation of four TNA MPs to Delhi for 
meetings April 16-17 with Indian National Security Advisor M.K. 
Narayanan and Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon.  A member of the 
delegation, MP Premachandran, stated:  "We told the Indian 
government that the military operations (in Sri Lanka) must be 
stopped."  Explaining what the TNA expected from New Delhi, he 
added, "India must tell Sri Lanka that if it cannot protect 
civilians, then it (India) will have a responsibility to do so." 
 
INDIAN EXTERNAL AFFAIRS MINISTRY ISSUES STATEMENT 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
¶10.  (U) The Indian High Commission made us aware of the following 
statement issued in New Delhi by the External Affairs Ministry. 
(Comment: in tone and substance, much tougher than the comparatively 
rare statements on the Sri Lankan situation we have seen before. 
End comment.) 
 
[begin text] 
 
India is deeply concerned about the humanitarian situation in Sri 
Lanka.  The continuing conflict has taken a heavy toll on Tamil 
civilians and internally displaced persons caught in the cross fire. 
 The Government of India has repeatedly expressed its concern for 
their security and sought to ensure safe passage to secure zones for 
the civilian population. 
 
We had welcomed the announcement by Sri Lankan President Mahinda 
Rajapakse of a cessation of hostilities for the Tamil and Sinhala 
New Year over the last two days.  The Government of Sri Lanka must 
extend this pause in hostilities to prevent further casualties and 
enable trapped civilians to leave the area to secure locations. 
Continuation of precipitate military actions leading to further 
civilian casualties at this time would be totally unacceptable. 
While it is incumbent on the LTTE to release all civilians and IDPs 
under their control, the Government of Sri Lanka cannot be oblivious 
to the evolving human tragedy and the fate of the Tamil civilian 
population caught up in the so-called No Fire Zone. There is no 
reason not to continue with the pause in military actions in the 
NFZ. 
 
The Government of India have extended humanitarian assistance, 
including medicines, food and other supplies, to the civilian 
population trapped in the conflict zone.  A 62-member emergency 
medical unit from India has treated more than 1500 serious medical 
cases among civilians in Pulmoddai in Sri Lanka. We will soon send 
another consignment of 40,000 family packs to the affected civilians 
in Northern Sri Lanka. 
 
The Government of India expects the Government of Sri Lanka and 
others concerned to respond positively to this appeal in the 
interest of the Tamils who are citizens of Sri Lanka. 
 
[end text] 
 
Civilian Casualties 
------------------- 
 
¶11. (U) The pro-LTTE TamilNet website reported 57 civilians killed 
and 300 wounded in April 16 fighting.  The website also reported 600 
of the 1,500 shells fired by the SLA hit the GSL-designated safe 
zone on April 16. (Note: Such reports from TamilNet cannot be 
confirmed and are frequently exaggerated.) 
 
BLAKE