Muslim-Tamil Tiger violence flares anew in

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 000687

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR SA, SA/INS, S/CT; NSC FOR E. MILLARD

LONDON FOR POL/RIEDEL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04-21-13
TAGS: PGOV PTER PHUM PREF CE LTTE
SUBJECT: Muslim-Tamil Tiger violence flares anew in
eastern Sri Lanka

Ref: (A) FBIS Reston VA DTG 201137Z APR 03
- (B) FBIS Reston VA DTG 190851Z APR 03
- (C) Colombo 658, and previous

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


1. (C) SUMMARY: Muslim-Tamil Tiger violence erupted in
eastern Sri Lanka, April 17-18. Five people were
reportedly killed, with many displaced. Muslim
politicians have threatened to boycott Parliament if the
GSL does not address the situation. After a lull in
violence that lasted several months, Muslim-Tiger
relations have nose-dived again. END SUMMARY.

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Violence in the East
====================


2. (SBU) Violence between Muslims and Liberation Tigers
of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) supporters erupted in the Mutur
area of eastern Sri Lanka, April 17-18. (Note: Mutur
is a Muslim-dominated town in Trincomalee District. The
population on the outskirts of the town is Tamil, with
much of Mutur's hinterland controlled by the LTTE.) As
with most communal incidents of this sort, the origins
of the flare-up are murky, but seem to involve the
abduction of two Muslims by the LTTE on March 31. After
the mother of one of the men committed suicide in
protest, tensions escalated into out-and-out fighting
between Muslims and LTTE cadre. In the fighting, at
least three Muslims and two LTTE supporters were
reportedly slain. (Note: The two men who were abducted
are missing and believed dead.)


3. (C) In reaction to news of the fighting, the
government dispatched police and army reinforcements to
Mutur to put a lid on the situation. Local curfews were
imposed and the security situation had calmed down
appreciably by April 19-20. Based on what we are
hearing from contacts, including Interior Secretary M.N.
Junaid, however, tensions remain extremely high in Mutur
and in the rest of the ethnically-fractured east. In
addition, the fighting left at least several hundred
Muslims displaced, as many shops and homes were torched
in the fighting. The government is grappling with the
humanitarian situation now.


4. (C) In the meantime, the Norwegian-run Sri Lanka
Monitoring Mission (SLMM) is trying to cool the
situation down, asking the LTTE and local Muslims to
meet to discuss their differences. The LTTE agreed to
this, asking Muslims to come to meet them in LTTE-
controlled territory. Muslims, upset over the venue,
turned down the LTTE offer. The SLMM continues to try
to arrange a meeting.

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Political Fallout
=================


5. (C) The political fallout from the violence was
immediate. Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) leader Rauf
Hakeem traveled to the Mutur area and announced that he
would boycott Parliament if the government did not step
in to address the situation right away. (Note: The
United National Front government is reliant on SLMC
support in Parliament for its slim majority.) Although
he later backed off this threat, Hakeem's pointed
comments were noticed and the government quickly sent a
cabinet-level team to the east to look into the
situation.


6. (C) (((Note: Tensions between the SLMC and the
government were already high before Mutur exploded into
violence. A public spat took place between pro-
government Muslim and SLMC MPs early last week, with
both sides slinging mud at the other. The exact context
of the verbal attacks was unclear, but Hakeem was
clearly insulted and said so publicly. End Note.)))
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COMMENT
=======


7. (C) After a lull in violence between the two sides
that lasted several months, Muslim-Tiger relations have
nose-dived again. Even beyond the local situation in
Mutur, the ramifications of such violence are serious,
as instability in the east serves to undermine the peace
process in general. Moreover, the latest violence is
not a constructive prelude to the seventh round of peace
talks slated to take place April 29 - May 2 in Thailand.
(Note: There have been some unconfirmed press reports
that the Tigers may want to postpone this round of
talks.) END COMMENT.


8. (U) Minimize considered.

WILLS