SRI LANKA: GOVERNMENT TALKS TOUGH ABOUT RECENT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 001432

SIPDIS

STATE FOR SA/INS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/26/2014
TAGS: PTER PGOV ASEC CE LTTE
SUBJECT: SRI LANKA: GOVERNMENT TALKS TOUGH ABOUT RECENT
KILLINGS

REF: A. USDAO COLOMBO IIR 6 816 0108 04


B. COLOMBO 1390

C. COLOMBO 1362

Classified By: CDA JAMES F. ENTWISTLE. REASON: 1.4 (B,D).

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MORE VIOLENCE . . .
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1. (U) The week of August 20-27 saw a continuation of the
violence between the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)
and its opponents cited in Ref B. On August 20 two
senior-ranking Tigers were shot and killed by unidentified
assailants as they left a meeting in Batticaloa. The
proximity of the incident to an army post raised Tiger
suspicions of Sri Lanka Army (SLA) involvement. The Tigers
reportedly enforced a mandatory day of mourning, closing
shops and businesses, in Tamil sections in the East on August

22. On August 23 suspected LTTE cadres, in apparent
retaliation for the August 22 killings, fired on an SLA
patrol in Batticaloa, injuring a soldier. On the same day in
Colombo suspected LTTE militants killed a former
Tiger-turned-SLA informant. On August 24 suspected LTTE
assassins shot and killed a former supporter of breakaway
LTTE leader Karuna as he was being brought by authorities
into a courtroom in Ampara.

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BUT ANY MORE THAN USUAL?
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2. (U) Reports of these incidents--and the Government of
Sri Lanka's (GSL) saber-rattling rhetorical responses to
them--were featured prominently throughout the week in the
English and vernacular media. The English press trumpeted
alarmist headlines like "Defend if necessary: Army Chief"
and "Don't push us to war: (Acting Defense Minister)
Ratnasiri"; "Stop killings or else, Ratnasiri tells LTTE."
All major dailies carried extensive coverage of Acting
Defense Minister Ratnasiri Wickremanayake blasting the
Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) as "one-sided" before an audience
of SLA soldiers in the north on August 23. Two days later,
local papers were quoting Wickremanayake as warning the LTTE
that "there is a limit to our patience" in an address at Navy
Headquarters. Coverage of Wickremanayake's stern message ran
below front-page color photos of Prime Minister Mahinda
Rajapakse inspecting SLA bunkers in the Eastern Province.


3. (C) Despite the media fanfare, some interlocutors
contend that there are no more violations against GSL forces
than usual. The Brigade Commander in Trincomalee told DATT
on August 26 that the rate of LTTE violations against his
forces remains at about the same level (Ref A). (Note: LTTE
violations against other opponents, such as Karuna
supporters, on the other hand, have increased. End note.)
Per Christer Larsen of the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission
(SLMM) confirmed that the rate of reported incidents between
LTTE and GSL security forces seemed no higher than usual. He
added that the Karuna rift--and the LTTE's subsequent and
systematic efforts to squelch his followers in the east--has
fueled a spurt of Tamil-on-Tamil violence, and thus perhaps
to a greater public perception that the Ceasefire Agreement
is in jeopardy.

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MONITORS MOVE FOR MEETING
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4. (SBU) In an effort to quell continued violence (and
perhaps to bolster public confidence in the Ceasefire
Agreement),the SLMM plans to hold separate meetings soon
with the SLA and LTTE to resolve several outstanding points
of contention, Larsen confirmed. As a first step, SLMM head
Trond Furhovde met separately with Defense Secretary Cyril
Herath in Colombo on August 25 and with LTTE political wing
leader Thamilchelvan in Kilinochchi on August 25.

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COMMENT
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5. (C) LTTE efforts to re-assert its dominance in the east
continue to spread violence and fear throughout the region
(Ref B). The majority of the LTTE's recent attacks, however,
have been aimed at opponents within the Tamil community
(former Karuna supporters, former cadres-turned-informants),
rather than at GSL security forces and facilities. With
President and Defense Minister Chandrika Kumaratunga out of
the country, Acting Defense Minister Wickremanayake seems to
be indulging his well-known penchant for bluster with even
less restraint than usual. As noted Ref A, the GSL is in no
position--either financially, logistically or politically--to
unsheath the sabers it has been rattling so fiercely over the
past week. That said, the steady drumbeat of media coverage,
coupled with the rhetorical broadsides launched by both the
GSL and the LTTE, contribute to a public perception of
escalating hostilities and an ever-more fragile Ceasefire
Agreement (CFA). This is a dangerous game, especially for
the GSL, which cannot afford diminished popular support for
the CFA. The SLMM hopefully will move quickly to bring the
two sides together for talks before the rhetoric gives way to
even greater violence. It is also important to note that the
trend cited by the EU delegation to LTTE political chief
Thamilchelvan last week (Ref C) of all killings being carried
out by "headquarters" LTTE has now been (slightly) reversed
with the August 20 slayings of the two senior LTTE officials,
presumably by Karuna supporters.
ENTWISTLE