Radical JVP party sponsors lightly attended

C O N F I D E N T I A L COLOMBO 001879

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR SA, SA/INS, NEA/NGA, DS/DSS/ITA

NSC FOR E. MILLARD

LONDON FOR POL/RIEDEL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 10-08-12
TAGS: PGOV PINS PREL ECON KPAO CE IZ
SUBJECT: Radical JVP party sponsors lightly attended
rally protesting U.S. Iraq policy

Refs: FBIS Reston Va DTG 071152Z OCT 02

(U) Classified by W. Lewis Amselem, Deputy Chief of
Mission. Reasons 1.5 (b,d).


1. (U) In a first, an anti-U.S. Iraq policy
demonstration took place in Colombo on October 7. The
rally, which took place near the embassy, was lightly
attended, with only about 250 people participating. The
radical, Sinhalese chauvinist Janantha Vimukthi Peramuna
(JVP) party sponsored the event. (Note: The JVP is one
of the largest political parties in parliament with 16
members.) An estimated 300 police had cordoned off the
area, preventing the demonstrators from approaching the
embassy, which is also adjacent to Temple Trees, the
office of the prime minister. There was no violence,
although traffic on Galle Road, a major thoroughfare,
was disrupted for a time. Participants in the rally
seemed almost sedate, perhaps because of the large
police presence. Most of them seemed to be from the JVP
based on the signs they were carrying. There were some
Muslims. The rally generated only modest coverage in
the local press (although Ref Xinhua report made the
rally look like a very big deal).


2. (SBU) The police allowed three of the demonstrators,
all JVP MPs, to deliver a statement to the RSO. The
statement, which was signed by JVP General Secretary
Tilvin Silva, was basically a rehash of warmed-over
criticisms of U.S. policy. The main thrust was that the
world had understood U.S. policy in the aftermath of
September 11, but the U.S. had now gone too far -- the
U.S. "has no right to change regimes of sovereign
nations and to kill tens of thousands of civilians."


3. (SBU) (((Note: Milinda Moragoda told DCM that the
JVP was back at it today: this time by making anti-U.S.
points re Iraq in parliament. At one point, Speaker
Joseph Michael Perera interjected when a senior JVP MP
made a negative comment about President Bush. Anura
Bandaranaike, President Kumaratunga's brother and a
senior People's Alliance MP who has made anti-U.S.
remarks in the past, asserted that MPs had the right to
make such statements about anyone they chose. The
speaker overruled him.)))


4. (C) Comment: This is the first anti-Iraq policy
rally in Sri Lanka since the current standoff began.
The fact that the JVP sponsored the rally is noteworthy
to the extent that the group has been able to mobilize
large crowds in the past. If the Iraq situation becomes
increasingly tense, it is possible that the JVP and
Muslim radicals might be able to gather some anti-U.S.
momentum. That said, most Sri Lankans seem to have
other fish to fry and are not paying much attention.


5. (C) There is some worry, however, over a possible
war's repercussions on the many Sri Lankans working in
the Middle East region, as well as the effect on tea
sales to Iraq and other Arab states. There is also some
concern that Sri Lanka has not stocked enough petroleum
in case of an emergency -- and that a surge in oil
prices could undercut the GSL budget, which is based on
an estimate that the price would hover around USD 20 a
gallon. End Comment.


6. (U) Minimize considered.

WILLS