VZCZCXRO7595
OO RUEHBI
DE RUEHLM #0501/01 1261202
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 061202Z MAY 09
FM AMEMBASSY COLOMBO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9932
INFO RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 1163
RUEHTH/AMEMBASSY ATHENS 0235
RUEHBK/AMEMBASSY BANGKOK 3809
RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 1640
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 8638
RUEHKT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU 6873
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 4947
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 3002
RUEHNY/AMEMBASSY OSLO 4908
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 4014
RUEHCG/AMCONSUL CHENNAI 9266
RUEHBI/AMCONSUL MUMBAI 6574
RUEHON/AMCONSUL TORONTO 1115
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 3495
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 02 COLOMBO 000501 
 
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 67 
 
REF:  A) Colombo 492 B) Colombo 484 C) Colombo 477 D) Colombo 470 E) 
Colombo 469 F) Colombo 464 G) Colombo 459 H) Colombo 456 I) Colombo 
454 J) Colombo 448 K) Colombo 435 and previous 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: On May 5, President Mahinda Rajapaksa invited UN 
Secretary General Ban Ki Moon to visit the country.  The 
International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) expects the "Green 
Ocean" ferry to depart Trincomalee on the evening of May 6 and 
offload food in the conflict zone on May 7.  UN Resident 
Representative Neil Buhne wrote to Minister of Disaster Management 
and Human Rights Mahinda Samarasinghe to defend the use of 
commercially-available satellite imagery to analyze humanitarian 
needs.  END SUMMARY. 
 
PRESIDENT INVITES UN SYG 
------------------------ 
 
¶2.  (U) In a phone conversation on the night of May 5, President 
Mahinda Rajapaksa invited UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon to visit 
Sri Lanka for the purpose of viewing the Government's response to 
civilian outflow from the conflict zone.  Rajapaksa said he welcomed 
the opportunity for Ban to personally evaluate the accommodation and 
treatment of internally-displaced civilians who have entered 
Government-controlled territory in recent months. 
 
ICRC FERRY DEPARTING TONIGHT 
---------------------------- 
 
¶3. (U) On May 5 Charge emphasized to President Rajapaksa and Special 
Presidential Advisor Basil Rajapaksa that ICRC boat runs to the safe 
zone must continue to evacuate sick and wounded civilians and to 
bring in critically needed food and medicine.  On May 6, ICRC Acting 
Head of Delegation Tony Dalziel reported to Charge that security 
assurances had been received from the military and LTTE for the 
"Green Ocean" to offload food and load evacuees on May 7.  The issue 
was discussed at a May 6 meeting of the National Security Council 
and assurances were conveyed to Dalziel by the Chief of Defense 
Staff.  The "Green Ocean" was loaded on May 6 in Trincomalee with 
approximately 30 metric tons of food and is expected to depart at 
1800 local and arrive the morning of May 7.  It is not yet known if 
medicine has been loaded, which, if it happens, typically takes 
place at the last minute.   Dalziel told Charge at 1700 that the 
landing point had subsequently been changed to a new location and 
that heavy fighting was occurring at that location.  Charge has 
calls in to Basil Rajapaksa and Chief of Defense Staff Perera to 
urge that forces hold fire to permit the landing.  Dalziel expects 
continued negotiations with military and LTTE commanders on the 
ground to produce accommodation of the landing tomorrow.  He 
anticipates back-to-back landings of the "Green Ocean" on May 7, 8, 
and 9.        Civilians evacuated by ICRC will be offloaded in 
Pulmoddai. 
 
UN DEFENDS USE OF SATELLITE IMAGERY 
----------------------------------- 
 
¶4. (U) UN Resident Representative Neil Buhne wrote to Minister of 
Disaster Management and Human Rights Mahinda Samarasinghe in defense 
of the UN's use of satellite imagery.  This correspondence follows 
 
COLOMBO 00000501  002 OF 002 
 
 
the unintended leak of the report on a UNOSAT website on April 28 
and subsequent accusations from the Foreign Secretary that the UN is 
"spying" on a member state.  Buhne's letter to Samarasinghe 
reportedly states that the UN shared both the imagery and UNOSAT 
analysis with Sri Lankan Government officials prior to the 
unintended leak of the report, including with the President's Chief 
of Staff in March and with the Foreign Minister in April.  Buhne 
states that the images permitted the UN to estimate the number of 
trapped civilians.  Buhne asserts that his office did not approve 
the report's public release. 
 
GSL TELLS AGENCIES TO EXPECT ARRIVALS 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) The Government's Competent Authority, Major General G.A. 
Chandrasiri, has told relief organizations in Vavuniya to prepare 
for an additional 50,000 to 75,000 internally-displaced persons 
(IDPs) to arrive at the camps over the next four to five days. 
(Note: President Rajapaksa and other senior GSL officials told 
Charge and Co-Chair Ambassadors on May 5 that there are few or no 
IDPs still in transit between Puthukkudiyiruppu and Omanthai; 
therefore the Government is likely referring to expected outflow 
from the conflict zone. This would call into serious question the 
Government's own estimate of maximum 15,000 civilians still 
trapped.)  The number of IDPs residing in Jaffna and Pulmoddai 
camps, who could potentially be transferred by the Government to 
Vavuniya sites, is approximately 16,000.  Any large influx of IDPs 
to Vavuniya would strain the capacity of already overcrowded 
displacement camps. 
 
LTTE EARTH BERMS SLOW SLA 
ADVANCE; NO NEW CIVILIAN ESCAPES 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶6. (SBU) According to Sri Lankan Army sources, 53 and 58 Divisions 
advanced approximately 300 meters in the last 24 hours (May 5-6), 
with the front lines about 800-900 meters south of the A35 junction. 
 The LTTE has reportedly ordered rationing of mortar and machine gun 
ammunition, but when the LTTE uses them, the fires are heavy and 
concentrated.  Resistance is still tough.  Army sources assess that 
the LTTE could hold out another two weeks at most.  The Sri Lankan 
Army believes LTTE leadership including Prabhakaran is still in the 
civilian "safe zone", though there has been no positive confirmation 
of Prabhakaran's presence for some time.  The Army believes that 
LTTE leaders Pottu Amman and Soosai are definitely in the cease-fire 
zone. 
 
¶7. (SBU) Sri Lankan Navy sources say there has been a general lull 
in Sea Tiger activity.  No civilians have escaped by sea in recent 
days.  Sri Lankan Air Force source says civilians are still being 
used to build a second LTTE ditch-cum-bund complex. These sources 
say burning objects on the night of May 4-5 were shelters, which the 
LTTE set on fire to force civilians to move south.  No civilians 
escaped by sea or land. 
 
MOORE