O 241229Z APR 09
FM AMEMBASSY COLOMBO
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9865
INFO USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 
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 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 000459 
 
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 60 
 
REF:   A) Colombo 456 B) Colombo 454 C) Colombo 448  D) Colombo 435 
E) Colombo 432  F) Colombo 425  G) Colombo 418  H) Colombo 414  I) 
Colombo 413  J) Colombo 412  K) Colombo 411  L) Colombo 402 and 
previous 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY:  Charge called the Foreign Minister to support the 
UN Secretary General's request to allow a working-level UN team 
access into the "no-fire zone" (NFZ) to negotiate an LTTE surrender. 
 The Minister was non-committal.  The Sri Lankan military pressed on 
in its pursuit of remaining LTTE fighters in the NFZ, stating it 
expected to complete the operation within several days or maximum 
1-2 weeks.  Indian Foreign Secretary Shivshankar Menon and National 
Security Advisor M. K. Narayanan arrived in Colombo to discuss the 
situation with the GSL, after a strong statement from Indian Foreign 
Minister Mukherjee calling for an immediate halt to all hostilities. 
 The ICRC continued its sea evacuations of wounded civilians and 
family members from NFZ on April 24.  The ICRC plans the next 
medevac for April 27.  The WFP food shipment has still not gone in 
because of concerns about security.  An unofficial UN document 
estimating about 6,500 killed and 14,000 wounded in the NFZ from 
January 20 - April 20 was leaked to the Associated Press.  The UN 
told us the population of IDP camps would soon reach 225,000 IDPs, 
far outstripping capacity.  End summary. 
 
FM BOGOLLAGAMA/CHARGE 
--------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) Charge called Foreign Minister Bogollagama April 24 to 
convey strong Co-Chair interest in working with the GSL to obtain an 
LTTE surrender through laying down arms to a third party (UN or 
ICRC), amnesty for cadres, and custody with international monitoring 
of the remaining LTTE leadership.  Bogollagama was non-committal, 
saying that the GSL is looking at these options.  Charge reiterated 
support for a UN mission into the safe zone to talk to the LTTE 
leadership about surrender, as discussed during the recent visit of 
UNSYG Chief of Staff Nambiar.  Bogollagama said the government was 
considering this possibility and the logistics that would be 
required, such as the team going in and out on an ICRC-flagged ship, 
but again was non-committal.  He said the GSL wanted to see what the 
visit of Indian National Security Adviser Narayanan and Foreign 
Secretary Menon, in Colombo April 24, produced. 
 
¶3. (SBU) Charge noted U.S. commitment to continuing to offer 
humanitarian aid and our willingness to consider providing medical 
assistance for IDPs coming out of the safe zone.  He reminded 
Bogollagama of the Embassy's April 2 letter requesting that the GSL 
put its requirements for medical assistance in writing and confirm 
that the request had the support of President Rajapaksa. 
Bogollagama said that whereas the GSL was initially interested in an 
addition to the hospital at Padawiya, the current priority, given 
tremendous short-term demands, was a field hospital.  Charge 
suggested that mobile medical teams might be another way to meet 
current needs rapidly.  Bogollagama undertook to provide a written 
request for U.S. medical assistance promptly. 
 
INDIA SENDS HIGH LEVEL PAIR TO COLOMBO 
-------------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) Following the release of a strong statement from Foreign 
 
Minister Pranab Mukherjee, the Indian Government sent Foreign 
Secretary Shivshankar Menon and National Security Advisor M. K. 
Narayanan to Colombo on April 24 for talks with GSL, presumably 
including the President.  The statement by the Indian Foreign 
Minister, released on April 23, was as follows: 
 
¶5. (SBU) "The Government of India has been monitoring with deep 
concern and anxiety the evolving situation in Sri Lanka, in 
particular the conditions of the Tamil civilians in the conflict 
zones.  We understand that over 100,000 civilians have emerged from 
the No Fire Zone into areas under Government control in the past 
three days but the lives of several thousands of innocent civilians 
remain threatened.  We are very unhappy at the continued killing in 
Sri Lanka. All killing must stop. There must be an immediate 
cessation of all hostilities." 
 
¶6.  (SBU) The Canadian High Commission told us that Foreign Minister 
Cannon had called Foreign Minister Bogollagama on April 23 to 
express concern about the humanitarian situation.  The EU delegation 
reported that EU External Relations Commissioner Ferrero-Waldner's 
conversation with Bogollagama following the Co-Chairs conference 
call had been tough. 
 
ICRC CONTINUES MEDICAL EVAC BY SEA 
---------------------------------- 
 
¶7. (SBU) ICRC's medical evacuation ferry, the Green Ocean, was back 
at the loading point in the NFZ the morning of April 24.  530 
wounded and family members were evacuated by this ferry on April 23, 
and the April 24 trip was expected to evacuate approximately 500 
more, with the next trip planned for April 27.  The logistics and 
security arrangements for these three most recent medical 
evacuations had proven most difficult, the ICRC reported, and it had 
recommended against sending in the WFP food supply ship, which is 
much larger and therefore harder to secure.  As a result, the food 
shipment continues to wait at Trincomalee.  As of April 23, the 
Government Agent of Mullaitivu was still in the NFZ assisting with 
the logistics of the evacuations and prior food shipments.  (The 
April 23 SitRep reported he was allegedly trying to leave the NFZ.) 
The last shipment of medicines into the NFZ was on April 8, leaving 
a critical shortage. 
 
MILITARY EXPECTS END SOON 
------------------------- 
 
¶8. (SBU) Sri Lankan military sources told Defense Attache they 
expected to complete operations within a few days, or at most a week 
or two.  They estimated 10,000 to 15,000 ciilians were still held 
by the LTTE in the NFZ.  (Note: UN estimates are much higher.)  The 
sources said they did not foresee a significant US military role in 
humanitarian assistance. 
 
¶9. (SBU) Contacts in the military said they estimated that 300-400 
hardcore LTTE and Sea Tigers remained inside the NFZ, including LTTE 
police and political operatives, and that an additional 700 recent 
forced recruits also remained.  The LTTE controlled about 10 square 
kilometers.  SLA forces were moving south from Putumattalan, and 
they estimated about 20,000 civilians remaining in the NFZ. 
(Comment:  The Sri Lankan military has consistently tended to 
 
underestimate remaining LTTE forces.) 
 
STATUS OF POSSIBLE UN TEAM GOING TO NFZ 
---------------------------------------- 
 
¶10. (SBU) UN Resident Coordinator Buhne reported to Charge the 
results of his meeting with Foreign Minister Bogollagama on April 
¶23.  Buhne pressed the written request for a UN security assessment 
team to enter the NFZ to prepare for a possible working-level 
mission to negotiate an LTTE surrender.  Bogollagama replied "they 
could go in tomorrow."  Buhne pointed out there would need to be a 
brief hiatus in the firing for that to take place; Bogollagama said 
he could not comment on that. 
 
¶11. (SBU) Buhne told Charge that, contrary to press reports, there 
was no UN team en route to the NFZ; If an initial working-level 
mission goes in, the team would consist of Colombo-based UN security 
officers.  However, he noted no indications that the GSL was 
preparing to accommodate even the security assessment mission at 
this time. 
 
AP CITES PRIVATE UN CASUALTY REPORT 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶12. (SBU) AP broke a story citing the private UN casualty estimates 
reported in April 23 SitRep (from January 20 to April 20, 6,432 
killed in the fighting, mostly civilians, and another 13,946 
wounded.)  Embassy considers these the most reliable figures 
available, but believes it important that USG sources not confirm 
them since they are UN numbers. 
 
EVACUATED IDP SITUATION NEAR OVERWHELMING 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶13. (SBU) UNHCR reported they expected a total caseload in camps of 
225,000 IDPs.  As of the morning of April 24, there were 
approximately 115,000 IDPs housed in camps, with an additional 
108,000 recent escapees from the NFZ en route and expected to reach 
camps soon.  This would not include tens of thousands of civilians 
still remaining inside the NFZ. 
 
¶14. (SBU) Various sources reported GSL was struggling to keep up 
with the influx, both in initial processing and in providing 
shelter, food, water, clothing and medical care.  USAID Mission 
Country Director and OFDA Representative visiting the primary site 
at Manik Farm on April 24 reported many busloads of new arrivals 
there.  Tents had been erected for shelter, but very few food 
supplies were available, with no specific provisions for children or 
infants.  Clothing was also scarce and water supplies were not yet 
sufficient. 
 
MOORE