VZCZCXRO4244
OO RUEHBI
DE RUEHLM #0529/01 1341121
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 141121Z MAY 09
FM AMEMBASSY COLOMBO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9976
INFO RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK PRIORITY 1183
RUEHTH/AMEMBASSY ATHENS 0257
RUEHBK/AMEMBASSY BANGKOK 3830
RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 1666
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 8668
RUEHKT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU 6903
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 4969
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 3034
RUEHNY/AMEMBASSY OSLO 4930
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 4036
RUEHCG/AMCONSUL CHENNAI 9292
RUEHBI/AMCONSUL MUMBAI 6598
RUEHON/AMCONSUL TORONTO 1137
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 3519
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 04 COLOMBO 000529 
 
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 72 
 
REF:  A) Colombo 522 B) Colombo 519 C) Colombo 514 D) Colombo 507 E) 
Colombo 501 F) Colombo 492 G) Colombo 484 H) Colombo 477 I) Colombo 
470 J) Colombo 469 K) Colombo 464 and previous 
 
¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY:  Charge pressed Government officials to permit UN 
access to the conflict zone as soon as possible, and to facilitate a 
visit this month by UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon.  At least 
1,200 civilians escaped on May 14, and perhaps thousands of others 
are following, according to military sources.  The ICRC has not been 
able to offload food from or evacuate patients to boats waiting 
offshore from the conflict zone since May 9 despite daily attempts 
to seek security assurances as boats wait offshore.  Both the LTTE 
and the Government noted appreciation for President Obama's May 13 
public statement on Sri Lanka.  President Rajapaksa established a 
Task Force to attend to IDP returns, rehabilitation, and development 
of the North within the next year.  END SUMMARY. 
 
ICRC Update 
---------- 
 
¶2. (SBU) ICRC has been in negotiations with senior Sri Lankan 
officials about conditions that would enable the ICRC-flagged "Green 
Ocean" to deliver food and evacuate passengers today, May 14.  No 
agreement has yet been reached on a landing point acceptable to the 
military and the LTTE, nor have security guarantees been provided. 
ICRC emphasized in its discussions with both sides that firing must 
be halted in the area of the landing point, as otherwise patients 
being evacuated would be placed at risk.  Humanitarian staff on the 
ICRC-flagged "Green Ocean" could see explosions in the general 
vicinity of the landing point.  Meanwhile, a larger ICRC-flagged 
ship "Oriental Planet" loaded with 500 metric tons of food was also 
waiting offshore.  A two-day window of no firing would be required 
to off-load the ship.  Note: As of afternoon on May 14, contacts 
report that the two ships remain 3 to 5 nautical miles offshore of 
the safe zone and cannot approach due to lack of security. 
 
Charge Presses GSL on Early UN Visit 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶3. (SBU) In a May 14 conversation with Senior Presidential Advisor 
Basil Rajapaksa, Charge pressed the Government to receive UN 
Secretary General Ban Ki Moon as early as possible and to grant the 
UN access to the safe zone to expedite getting food and medicine in 
and civilians out.  Basil responded that the President told the 
Secretary General on May 13 that he would welcome a visit but would 
be in Jordan May 14-18, so encouraged him to come later in the 
month.  Charge responded that the UN should be granted access to the 
safe zone urgently and this could not wait until late May. 
Separately, Tourism Minister Milinda Moragoda, who was with 
Rajapaksa when he talked to the Secretary General, told Charge that 
the President explained to the Secretary General that he wanted to 
be able to offer him something concrete during a visit and "we don't 
have that yet." 
 
UN UPDATE 
--------- 
 
¶4. (SBU) A UN contact said new imagery dated May 10 indicates the 
 
COLOMBO 00000529  002 OF 004 
 
 
number of shelters has dropped from 11,300 on May 6 to 7,000 on May 
¶10.  The move to the south and southwest may have been without 
shelters, possibly explaining the difference.  The UN has no reports 
of incoming artillery since Tuesday (but there was intense mortar 
fire on April 13, including two mortar shells which landed near the 
makeshift hospital, ref A).  Medical personnel have had a hard time 
reaching casualties because the fighting is getting so close, 
reportedly within 500 meters.  The UN said there were now 5,000 
civilians at Pulmoddai.  The military is conducting twice-weekly 
convoys on the A-9 to Jaffna, one for logistics and one for 
personnel.  The UN source noted that according to the World Health 
Organization, cases of chicken pox in the IDP camps have increased 
from 600 in February to over 8,000 at present. 
 
MILITARY REPORTS CIVILIAN ESCAPES 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶5. (SBU) Army contacts reported that 58 Division advanced southward 
another 500m southward along the coast to a point about one 
kilometer north of the ICRC's landing site.  On the lagoon side, 53 
Division is generally on line with 58 Division.  53 Division has 
reached some paddy fields, an open terrain area where its soldiers 
have been targeted by LTTE snipers.  In the south, 59 Division made 
little significant progress last night, May 13.  It controls 
400-500m of the southern LTTE ditch-cum-bund along the northern 
shore of the lagoon outlet and has advanced about 300m north along 
the coast.  There were no LTTE counterattacks last night, though 
LTTE mortar fire intensified appreciably.  The Army estimates the 
LTTE has about 1,000 cadres under arms, 400-500 hardcore and as many 
as 600 auxiliaries and forced recruits.  The LTTE is recruiting on a 
daily basis.  According to the Army, approximately 360 civilians 
crossed over to Government-controlled territory on May 13 and 300 as 
of midday May 14, mostly south to 59 Division but some north to 58 
Division as well.  Civilians are slipping through gaps in the LTTE 
lines and in some cases, LTTE cadres may be allowing their own 
family members to leave. The Defense Ministry website announced that 
over 1,000 civilians escaped toward the 59 Division last night, May 
13, and an additional 200-250 fled northward to 53 and 58 Divisions. 
 
 
¶6. (SBU) A Navy contact said the Army is making continued progress 
against LTTE positions.  There were no Sea Tiger-Sri Lankan Navy 
engagements on May 13-14.  The LTTE now control only 1.5-2.5 
kilometers of coastline.  One boatload of civilians escaped 
southward along the coast.  They waited till Sea Tiger patrol boats 
moved away, then made a break for it. 
 
¶7. (SBU) An Air Force contact said UAV footage taken early afternoon 
on May 14 showed that about 2,000 civilians had already followed the 
eastern shore of the lagoon south and swam across the outlet to 59 
Division.  A short time later UAV coverage showed 2,500-3,000 more 
moving along the same route.  The contact reports 300 civilians swam 
across the Nanthi Kadal lagoon last night, May 13.  A large group of 
civilians tried to move north along the beach towards 58 Division 
but ran back after the LTTE started shooting at them.  The Sri 
Lankan Air Force was trying to convince the Ministry of Defense to 
release the UAV video.  The Sri Lankan Air Force contact said the 
LTTE has made up for its battlefield losses by forcibly recruiting 
 
COLOMBO 00000529  003 OF 004 
 
 
the young and old, giving them weapons, and assigning a hardcore 
LTTE to every 20-30 forced recruits. 
 
LTTE and GSL WELCOME POTUS STATEMENT 
------------------------------------ 
 
¶8.  (U) Both the Government and the LTTE made statements of 
appreciation for President Obama's May 13 statement regarding Sri 
Lanka. The LTTE thanked the President "for passionately talking 
about the plight of Tamil civilians and calling for urgent actions 
to alleviate the mounting humanitarian crisis." The LTTE comments 
ignored the President's criticism of LTTE abuses, particularly 
holding civilians as human shields.  Senior Presidential Advisor 
Basil Rajapaksa contacted Charge on behalf of President Rajapaksa to 
note appreciation for the President's "encouraging message". 
 
ARMY LOCATES LTTE AIRCRAFT ACCESSORIES 
------------------------------------- 
 
¶9. (SBU) The Defense Ministry reported discovery of LTTE aircraft 
accessories in Puthukkudiyiruppu on May 13. The items buried in a 
coconut grove include four cylinder engines, three propellers, an 
aircraft radio set, five aircraft main wheels, three nose wheels, 
four pilots' hand phones, battery charges, digital meters, computer 
graphic manuals, ground marshalling torches, flying (aerial) 
computers, flying simulation units, 23 runway lights, head lights, 
transmitters, marine radars, flying maps, 35 high-speed boat 
engines, a water scooter laden with explosives, and an aircraft 
towing carrier. 
 
NEW TASK FORCE FOR THE NORTH 
---------------------------- 
 
¶10. (SBU) On May 13, President Mahinda Rajapaks announced 
establishment of a 19-member Presidenial Task Force for 
Resettlement, Development andSecurity in the Northern Province. 
This new committee, chaired by Presidential Advisor Basil Rajapaksa, 
is charged with implementing all Government efforts in the North. 
Commissioner General for Essential Services S.B. Divarathne was 
appointed as Secretary; Ministers or Secretaries from relevant line 
ministries are represented.  The President has ordered this Task 
Force to complete its mandate and report to the President within one 
year. 
 
ONE YEAR OR THREE? 
------------------ 
 
¶11.  (SBU) NGO staff who visited Vavuniya and met with authorities 
on May 8-9 report they received guidance from a Government official 
that the IDP camps are being  set up with the expectation that 
civilians will be housed there for 2 to 3 years.  This contradicts 
recent Government declarations that it will expedite the 
resettlement of civilians to the North and return 80% by the end of 
calendar year 2009. 
 
¶12.  (SBU) COMMENT: The North has been emptied of civilians as 
Government forces have recaptured land.  Donors do not agree with 
the long-term confinement of civilians, over 190,000 of whom are 
 
COLOMBO 00000529  004 OF 004 
 
 
currently in sites ringed by multiple rows of concertina wire and 
who have no freedom of movement.  UNHCR, the UN lead for protection 
matters, communicated to the Government on multiple occasions its 
expectations of full freedom of movement for civilians following 
timely screening for combatants; however as of yet, no organization 
or donor has taken the decision to withhold life-saving assistance. 
Debate on this issue is expected to intensify once the conflict in 
Mullaitivu ends and international attention shifts to the IDP 
camps. 
 
MOORE