VZCZCXRO9713
OO RUEHBI
DE RUEHLM #0464/01 1171126
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 271126Z APR 09
FM AMEMBASSY COLOMBO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9873
INFO RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 1133
RUEHTH/AMEMBASSY ATHENS 0214
RUEHBK/AMEMBASSY BANGKOK 3782
RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 1605
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 8599
RUEHKT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU 6835
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 4921
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 2963
RUEHNY/AMEMBASSY OSLO 4882
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 3988
RUEHCG/AMCONSUL CHENNAI 9238
RUEHBI/AMCONSUL MUMBAI 6548
RUEHON/AMCONSUL TORONTO 1089
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 3461
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC
RHMFIUU/CDRUSARPAC FT SHAFTER HI//APCW/APOP//
RHHMUNA/CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI//J3/J332/J52//

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 COLOMBO 000464 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
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 61 
 
REF: A) Colombo 459 B) Colombo 456 C) Colombo 454 D) Colombo 448 E) 
Colombo 435 F) Colombo 432 G) Colombo 425 H) Colombo 418 I) Colombo 
414 J) Colombo 413 K) Colombo 412 and previous 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY:  On April 27, the Government continued to reject 
calls for a ceasefire, but declared an end to combat operations. 
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) promptly accused 
Government forces of continuing to bomb civilians.  UN 
Undersecretary for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes completed a 
48-hour visit to Sri Lanka. The Government announced former Jaffna 
military commander G.A. Chandrasiri will oversee operations to 
assist displaced persons on the North.  UNHCR reports over 120,000 
civilians are now in Government-designated IDP camps, with many more 
due to arrive.  End summary. 
 
GOVERNMENT DECLARES END TO COMBAT 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) The Government announced the end of combat operations on 
April 27.  The statement follows days of repeated international 
calls for a ceasefire to permit civilians to escape the conflict 
zone, and Government rejections of those pleas.  Military spokesman 
Udaya Nanayakkara clarified to reporters that the Government has not 
declared a ceasefire:  "The Government of Sri Lanka has decided that 
combat operations have reached their conclusion. Our security forces 
have been instructed to end the use of heavy caliber guns, combat 
aircraft and aerial weapons which could cause civilian causalities." 
 The statement notes that Government efforts will now turn toward 
rescue of civilians.  (COMMENT: President Rajapaksa first announced 
in mid-February that he ordered Government forces to cease use of 
heavy artillery out of concern for trapped civilians. Today's 
announcement may be an attempt to respond to international calls for 
a ceasefire - especially India's - without appearing to domestic 
constituents as caving to international demands.)  As of the 
afternoon of April 27, sources report continued fighting in the 
conflict zone.  The Pro-LTTE website TamilNet accused the Government 
of bombing civilians even after this announcement. 
 
HOLMES VISIT CONCLUDES 
---------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) UN Undersecretary for Humanitarian Affairs John Holmes 
concluded his three-day visit to Sri Lanka with travel to the IDP 
camps in Vavuniya.  (Note: Press accounts speculating that he might 
travel to the conflict zone were incorrect.  The UN noted to Charge 
they would first send in security specialists to conduct a security 
assessment and obtain safety assurances prior to any other UN travel 
to this conflict area.) Holmes met with Charge and other heads of 
diplomatic missions on April 26, where he relayed his objective of 
pursuing a humanitarian pause, and of determining if any 
opportunities exist with contacts on the ground to pursue a 
negotiated surrender of the LTTE.  Holmes plans to meet with 
President Rajapaksa tonight following his return from Vavuniya 
before leaving Sri Lanka. 
 
ARMY CAPTURES BUND; AIR FORCE 
STRIKES AREA SOUTH OF SAFE ZONE 
----------------------------- 
 
COLOMBO 00000464  002 OF 003 
 
 
 
¶4. (SBU) On April 26, the Army confirmed capture of additional 
ground and reported 1,000 more civilians escaped, in addition to 
500-600 overnight on April 25-26.  A Ministry of Defense official 
declared no knowledge of an official LTTE unilateral ceasefire 
offer, as the Government does not consider a TamilNet report a 
credible source or method of communicating such an offer.  On April 
27, a Sri Lankan Army source reported further advances along the 
beach southwards within the no-fire zone.  Outside the no-fire zone, 
elements of 53 Division captured a portion of another LTTE earth 
berm.   The Sri Lankan Air Force says it continues to attack targets 
only in the area south of the CSZ and north of Mullaitivu.  Targets 
include LTTE fighting positions in the area south of the safe zone. 
ICRC separately confirmed reports of shelling south of the no-fire 
zone.  (DAO Comment:  This may be an attempt to soften up the area 
for a possible northern push.  Up to this point, no Army units have 
crossed the water obstacle north of Mullaitivu.)  An Air Force 
source reports there is no use of attack helicopters since the 
capture of Puttukudiyuruppu (PTK) East, because they are too 
vulnerable to LTTE small arms.  According to this source, the SLAF 
Commander categorically refuses to carry out strikes within the 
"no-fire zone" despite Army pressure to do so. 
 
GOVERNMENT APPOINTEES FOR 
CRISIS RESPONSE 
------------------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU)  On April 24, President Rajapaksa appointed Major General 
G.A. Chandrasiri, the former military commander in Jaffna, to the 
position of Competent Authority Officer in charge of the camps for 
internally displaced persons (IDPs).  The Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs also established a new Humanitarian Task Force of eight 
officers and additional appointees from relevant ministries to 
coordinate and facilitate offers of assistance from the 
international community.  The diplomatic note circulated to missions 
and the UN in Colombo advised, "The Ministry [of Foreign Affairs] 
would appreciate to receive relief assistance from the international 
community which could be channeled through the Ministry of Foreign 
Affairs."  The MFA notes the following urgent relief needs: 
semi-permanent shelters; water purification facilities; assistance 
in the health sector; and sanitation facilities.  (Comment: the 
Bilateral Donor Group has agreed that semi-permanent or permanent 
infrastructure should not be funded in IDP camps as this does not 
support a rapid return of civilians to their home communities.  Such 
support to resettlement communities may be appropriate.) 
 
MEDEVACS CONTINUE BUT LITTLE FOOD OR MEDS 
------------------------------------------ 
 
¶6. (SBU) ICRC Deputy Tony Dalziel informed Charge that medical 
evacuations from the safe zone will resume April 28.  The "Green 
Ocean" will depart Trincomalee the evening of April 27 for the safe 
zone and will take out wounded and sick civilians to Pulmoddai April 
¶28.  Medevacs are also planned on April 29 and 30.  Thirty tons of 
food will be taken in on each sailing of the Green Ocean.  (COMMENT: 
This is a welcome development, as no food went in on the Green Ocean 
last week and there have been no food deliveries to the "safe zone" 
since early April).  ICRC requests to include medicine in shipments 
 
COLOMBO 00000464  003 OF 003 
 
 
have not been approved by the GSL (UN Resident Representative Neil 
Buhne reported to Charge on April 27 that the Government agreed to 
deliver medicine on an ICRC shipment. Post will report in future 
sitreps if this commitment is met.)  Dalziel notes that security 
conditions and lack of distribution infrastructure in the safe zone 
due to the fighting continue to prevent a larger food ship from 
making a delivery into the safe zone.  Unloading a 1000-plus food 
shipment takes four days, and as of now ICRC can only negotiate 
windows of 2-3 hours. 
 
ESTIMATES OF CIVILIAN DEATHS, DISPLACEMENTS 
----------------------------------------- 
 
¶7.  (SBU) The Ministry of Defense reported on April 26 that the Sri 
Lankan Army rescued 3,141 civilians from Valayarmadam coastal 
village, and rescued an additional 107 persons from Puthukudiyiruppu 
East area.  Tamil sources within the conflict zone report 174 
civilians were killed and 212 injured on April 24.  On April 25, 
they reported 39 airstrikes with 32 killed and 48 injured. (Reports 
from Tamil sources cannot be confirmed and are frequently 
exaggerated.  The UN separately discounted the reports of airstrikes 
on April 25.)  The UN estimates that an estimated 40,000 to 50,000 
civilians are still held in the conflict area by LTTE.  One UN local 
staff member remains in the conflict zone. 
 
¶8.  (U) UNHCR reports that as of April 25 there were 120,617 
arrivals from the conflict zone in IDP camps (including all arrivals 
since late October). This figure does not include the tens of 
thousands of civilians now in transit to the Government-designated 
camps. 
 
MOORE