SRI LANKA: TENSIONS CONTINUE TO RISE AS LTTE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 001913

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR SA, SA/INS
NSC FOR DORMANDY

E.O. 12958: DECL: 11/26/2014
TAGS: PGOV PTER CE LTTE
SUBJECT: SRI LANKA: TENSIONS CONTINUE TO RISE AS LTTE
HEROES' DAY APPROACHES

REF: COLOMBO 1897 AND PREVIOUS

Classified By: James F. Entwistle, Deputy Chief of Mission. 1.4 (b,d)


1. (C) Summary: Tensions continue to flare in the north and
east as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) plan to
celebrate their annual November 26-27 Heroes' Day.
Throughout the two regions, interlocutors report that Sri
Lanka army and civilians have clashed in attempts to disrupt
preparations for the upcoming remembrance. With the
Government closed for the Buddhist Full Moon ("Poya") holiday
November 26, military officials have been unavailable for
reaction. The Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission reports, however,
that everything is quiet at the present and they are in
contact with both parties in the areas touched by clashes and
unrest. While conflicts between the army and civilians occur
from time to time, the build-up to Tiger leader Prabhakaran's
annual policy speech is provoking even greater tension than
usual. End Summary.


2. (SBU) Tensions continue to rise in the north and east as
the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) preparations for
its November 26-27 Hero's Day commemorations provoke Sri
Lankan army officials. There have been the following
incidents, according to the pro-LTTE website, "TamilNet," and
other contacts:
-- The Sri Lanka Army (SLA) allegedly injured approximately
17 civilians in the northwest coastal town of Mannar during
an attempt to destroy decorations for the upcoming Hero's Day
celebrations;
-- The Army also injured civilians in attempts to prevent
them from raising the LTTE flag in the northcentral town of
Vavuniya and the eastern town of Batticaloa. (Note: It is
against the ceasefire agreement (CFA) for the LTTE flag to be
raised in government-controlled areas);
-- In the northern town of Jaffna, SLA and civilians also
clashed during efforts to raise the LTTE flag. The situation
returned to normal when the police took control of the area
(Note: Under the CFA, the army is not allowed to engage in
general enforcement of law and order.); and
-- The Governor-General's meeting scheduled for November
26-27 in Trincomalee was canceled when the Tamil Secretary to
the North and East Governor was reportedly "detained" by the
LTTE.


3. (C) In response to these events, LTTE political leader
S.P. Thamilchelvan addressed a letter to Sri Lanka Monitoring
Mission (SLMM) Head Furuhovde complaining about the Mannar
and Vavuniya incidents, noting these tense situations may
"create a totally undesirable confrontational position."
Gajen Ponnambalam, a Tamil National Alliance (TNA) MP from
Jaffna, told POL FSN that SLA actions were a "systematic"
attempt to disrupt the LTTE's functions. Not all areas
preparing to celebrate Heroes' Day have been marred by
unrest, however. Another TNA MP, Joseph Pararajasingham,
told POL FSN on November 26 that police and SLA are
cooperating and not interfering in LTTE functions in the
general Batticaloa district.


4. (SBU) The Government of Sri Lanka is closed November 26
for the Buddhist Full Moon ("Poya") Day. Military officials
have been unavailable for reaction to the incidents and LTTE
comments about the SLA's intentions.


5. (C) In a November 26 conversation with polchief, SLMM
spokesman Oskar Solnes confirmed many of the above incidents
but noted that all the areas were quiet at present. He said
that the SLMM brokered an agreement between the SLA and
civilians in Mannar, allowing for the LTTE flag to be raised
for part of the day on November 26. He further expected
similar discussions to take place in Vavuniya later on
November 25, noting that shooting from an unidentified source
the night of November 26 had injured one person. Despite
many complaints from the Army of LTTE flag raising in Jaffna,
Solnes stated that the SLA had shown "great restraint" in
response to the alleged violations. Lastly, he said that
"LTTE influence" had been "instrumental" in the cancellation
of the conference in Trincomalee. He confirmed that a Tamil
civil servant was with the LTTE, but declined to describe him
as "kidnapped." Although Trincomalee was quiet as of late
morning November 26, Solnes said he expected tensions to rise
if the Sinhalese nationalists Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)
followed through on a threat, publicized in local media, to
protest the SLMM's failure to stop the LTTE from violating
the CFA.


6. (C) Comment: While conflicts between the army and
civilians occur from time to time, many citizens are tense in
the buildup to Tiger leader Prabhakaran's annual policy
speech. Given the lack of progress in returning to the
negotiating table, many Sri Lankans are wondering whether the
tenor of Prabhakaran's speech will be confrontational or
conciliatory. If the latest clashes are any indication, it
appears that Prabhakaran will likely take the harder line in
his speech. End Comment.

LUNSTEAD