Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
03COLOMBO949
2003-06-03 11:29:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Colombo
Cable title:  

Tigers continue to flex muscles in Jaffna

Tags:  PGOV PTER PHUM EAID CE NO JA LTTE 
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This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 COLOMBO 000949 

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR SA, SA/INS; S/CT, DRL; NSC FOR

E. MILLARD

LONDON FOR POL/RIEDEL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/03/13
TAGS: PGOV PTER PHUM EAID CE NO JA LTTE
SUBJECT: Tigers continue to flex muscles in Jaffna

Refs: Colombo 939, and previous

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

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 COLOMBO 000949

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR SA, SA/INS; S/CT, DRL; NSC FOR

E. MILLARD

LONDON FOR POL/RIEDEL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/03/13
TAGS: PGOV PTER PHUM EAID CE NO JA LTTE
SUBJECT: Tigers continue to flex muscles in Jaffna

Refs: Colombo 939, and previous

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


1. (C) SUMMARY: Poloff traveled to Jaffna in northern
Sri Lanka, May 28-29. Amid signs of pervasive Tamil
Tiger influence, residents urged the GSL to meet Tiger
conditions, so the group would attend the Tokyo donors
conference. Meanwhile, as they have on previous Mission
visits, Tamils cited frustration with the military over
its control of large-scale "high security zones." Amid
the rumblings, the best that could be said of Jaffna was
that the situation remained a far, far cry from the
years of war. END SUMMARY.


2. (C) A QUIET JAFFNA: On May 28-29, poloff and pol
FSN traveled to Jaffna Peninsula on one of Mission's
regular visits to the war-torn region. (Note: In a
rare visit, the team also visited Kayts Island, just off
the southwest coast of the Peninsula -- See Paras 7-8.)
Jaffna was largely quiet, at least on the surface.
Poloff talked freely and openly with a wide variety of
residents. People strolled the streets peaceably,
schoolchildren in bright uniforms rode bicycles
laughing, and shops had a variety of goods for sale
(though markedly less than that available in Colombo and
other Sri Lankan cities).


3. (C) TIGERS TO TOKYO, OR NOT: In poloff's meetings,
one issue that was on everyone's minds was whether the
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) would attend the
Tokyo donors conference. (Note: In late April, the
Tigers announced that they would not attend Tokyo. The
GSL, the Norwegian facilitators, and the Japanese have
been trying feverishly to convince the LTTE to reverse
its decision -- See Reftels.) Nearly all the Tamils
that poloff spoke to wanted the LTTE to go to Tokyo, and
urged the government to meet LTTE demands re the
formation of a north/east interim administration as soon
as possible. Many interlocutors also urged the USG to

"pressure" the GSL and the LTTE to resolve their
disputes, so that rehabilitation work could begin right
away. While opinion was mixed among interlocutors on
whether the Tigers would actually attend the upcoming
Tokyo conference (most did not think so),the desire for
rehabilitation in the north and east came through loud-
and-clear. Characterizing the Tigers as "very
concerned" with the administration of aid, Tamil Eelam
Liberation Organization (TELO) MP K.Sivajilingam cited
Tamil fears that aid pledged at the upcoming Tokyo
conference would and go to the south, when it was most
needed in the north and east. (Note: In spite of the
comments of some Tamils, some international assistance
is indeed finding its way to Jaffna. Poloff visited a
State Department-funded demining site located 20
kilometers outside of Jaffna town. Per Reftel, the
Quick Reaction Demining Force team has been extremely
successful in removing mines and unexploded ordnance.)


4. (C) FRUSTRATION WITH MILITARY RUNS HIGH: As they
have during past visits by Mission personnel, Tamils
cited a high degree of frustration with the presence of
the Sri Lankan military's "high security zones."
Echoing the LTTE's long-standing demand, Tamils
underscored that Jaffna would not be restored to
normality until Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) were
allowed to return to their homes within the security
zones. (Note: The military's "high security zones" and
other posts occupy about 18 percent of the land area in
Jaffna District. The GSL continues to review various
ways to shift around troops, so as to minimize the
impact of the zones on Jaffna residents, while allowing
IDPs to return.)


5. (C) LTTE'S PERVASIVE INFLUENCE: As for the LTTE, it
was clear to poloff -- based on his discussions and
observations -- that Tiger influence in Jaffna is
pervasive. Contacts made clear that -- despite military
patrols and some checkpoints -- LTTE cadre move with
impunity about the streets of Jaffna town and anywhere
else, making no secret of their presence. Poloff, for
example, was witness to one instance of apparent LTTE
grandstanding: Three suspected Tigers -- one armed with
what appeared to be a revolver -- loitered outside
poloff's hotel while he was engaged in meetings.
Although they did not directly threaten poloff or
apparently anyone else, the message was clear that the
LTTE is watching the Jaffna situation with great
interest. (Note: Per the terms of the February
ceasefire accord and the late 2002 legalization of the
group, unarmed LTTE personnel are allowed to move about
in Sri Lanka. What is different in Jaffna today
compared with last year is that the group seems to be
making use of that right more and more. Per poloff's
experience mentioned above, some LTTE cadre also seem to
be cutting corners and to be carrying arms.)


6. (C) FEAR OF THE TIGER: There was a lot of concern
about the spreading tentacles of the LTTE. Tamil
National Alliance (TNA) MP N. Raviraj cited what he
called the LTTE's "repression through fear" of "all
people" in Jaffna. He said Tamils were angered by the
group's use of taxation and forcible recruitment.
(Note: Representatives of the Norwegian-run Sri Lanka
Monitoring Mission, "SLMM," also told poloff that they
had evidence of large-scale recruitment efforts by the
Tigers. SLMM contacts were not sure how many of the
recruits might be children, but there seemed to be
some.) Raviraj further stated that the LTTE allows
precious little political dissent either, often
threatening Tamils who oppose the group in private
conversations, or in public. All that said, Raviraj and
other contacts said the LTTE seemed to be open to some
forms of discussion, as long as opinions were expressed
in careful, nuanced fashion. (Note: Raviraj, while not
anti-LTTE, has long expressed concerns about the LTTE's
use of intimidatory tactics in Jaffna and elsewhere in
Sri Lanka.)


7. (C) DIFFICULTIES ABOUND ON KAYTS: In a rare visit
by Mission personnel to Kayts, poloff met with the
Government Agent (GA) there, V. Selvanayagam.
Explaining the political situation, the GA noted that
the people of Kayts existed among three competing
forces: the LTTE, the Sri Lankan Navy, and the anti-
LTTE Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP). (Note:
Kayts and other islands off Jaffna have long been a
stronghold of the EPDP, a former Tamil paramilitary
group. EPDP influence on Kayts was reinforced by
assistance from its allies in the Sri Lankan military,
but that link has been weakening during the course of
the peace process.) Characterizing the centrally based
position of the Kayts Navy base as a "hand on the
throat" of the people, the GA said there was little sign
that political tensions among the three contending
groups would decline soon. (Note: Based on poloff's
observations, the LTTE seems to be quickly gaining the
upper hand in Kayts. The group had recently opened up a
spanking new office on the island. In the meantime,
EPDP posters on the island had been systematically
defaced, apparently by LTTE cadre. In addition, in
recent incidents of small-scale violence, the LTTE has
reportedly got the better of the EPDP, which -- per the
ceasefire accord -- has been largely and controversially
disarmed. End Note.)


8. (C) Re the island's apparent lack of basic services,
the GA laid out in stark terms the harsh realities
governing the area. Electricity, provided by
generators, is available for only seven and a half-hours
a day. Phone service is next to nonexistent, with the
GA having to drive or walk one kilometer into a nearby
town to use one of the few phone lines. There are no
buses, no hospitals or doctors, and if injuries occur,
the patient has to face a grueling 15-kilometer long
drive to Jaffna, partly accomplished by a causeway that
is barely above sea level.


9. (C) COMMENT: There was a lot of rumblings in
Jaffna, with Tamils worried about the military and the
LTTE. In the meantime, Kayts Island seemed tense with
the ascendant LTTE challenging long-standing military
and EPDP control. Given these negative vibrations, the
best that could be said of Jaffna was that the situation
was a far, far cry from the years of when the Peninsula
was literally torn apart by the war. Tamils, in
general, seem to realize that and to be counting their
blessings, though it is not clear whether the LTTE is on
the same page. END COMMENT.


10. (U) Minimize considered.

WILLS