Sri Lanka: Background on long-standing

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 COLOMBO 000470

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR SA, SA/INS, INR/NESA

NSC FOR E. MILLARD

E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/17/14
TAGS: PGOV PINR PTER SOCI CE LTTE
SUBJECT: Sri Lanka: Background on long-standing
tensions between eastern and northern Tamils

Refs: Colombo 465, and previous

(U) Classified by James F. Entwistle, Deputy Chief of
Mission. Reasons 1.5 (b,d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: Since his split with the LTTE, rebel
commander Karuna has made a big pitch that eastern
Tamils have been mistreated by the main LTTE
organization in the north. In wider societal terms, it
is true that there have been long-standing tensions
between eastern and northern Tamils. Often from a
higher Hindu caste, northern Tamils are likely to be
more educated and urbanized, whereas eastern Tamils are
often poorer and more rural. Although Karuna seems to
have exaggerated the depth of the divide in order to
generate the maximum political impact, his comments have
highlighted -- and helped widen -- a breach in Tamil
society that could have important ramifications, pro and
con, for the peace process. END SUMMARY.

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Karuna highlights East vs. North divide
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2. (SBU) Since his March 3 split with the mainstream
leadership of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
(LTTE) organization (see Reftels),rebel eastern
commander Karuna has justified his actions in two major
ways. First, he has said that he believes that the LTTE
was preparing to end the peace process and start a
military offensive -- a policy that he said he opposed.
Second, he has vigorously asserted that eastern Tamils
have been systematically mistreated by northern Tamils.


3. (U) In making this latter point, Karuna -- and his
oft-quoted assistant Varathan -- have variously made the
following specific claims:
-- That there are no eastern Tamils among the LTTE's top
30 officials.
-- That members of the LTTE from the east have borne the
brunt of the group's casualties.
-- That income from LTTE "taxation" and other funds has
not been spread equally between northern and eastern
Tamils. (On this point, for example, Karuna has stated
that LTTE leaders in the north ride around in "luxury
vehicles" while people in the east "are undergoing much
hardship.")

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Northern Tamils: A proud group
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4. (C) In wider societal terms, it is true that there
have been long-standing tensions between eastern and
northern Tamils. Often from a higher Hindu caste,
northern Tamils are likely to be more educated and
urbanized, whereas eastern Tamils are often poorer and
more rural. Northern Tamils, often called "Jaffna"
Tamils due to that city's traditional status as the
center of Tamil cultural identity in Sri Lanka, are a
proud group. They pride themselves on their relatively
high degree of education, as there are numerous schools
in Jaffna District, many established by U.S.
missionaries in the nineteenth century. Due to their
educational standards, many northern Tamils also
benefited during British rule, serving as clerks and
entering the professions. Northern Tamils, in general,
also tend to belong to higher Hindu castes than Tamils
from other regions, with a higher percentage of the
population hailing from the prestigious "Vellala" caste.
(The Vellala caste is the highest among Sri Lankan
Hindus. There are very few indigenous Brahmins in Sri
Lanka.) Also strengthening the societal position of
northerners is the fact that there are many "Jaffna"
Tamils in Colombo, who are wealthy and own businesses.
Many of the most prominent and wealthy Sri Lankan Tamils
who live overseas are also from Jaffna. (FYI. About 23
percent of Sri Lanka's 20 million people are Tamil. Of
this, 18 percent of the total population is considered
"Sri Lankan" Tamil and 5 percent is "tea estate" Tamil.
Of the "Sri Lankan" Tamils, about two-thirds are
northerners.)


5. (C) In discussions, northern Tamils will often
freely admit to the superior self-image that many
members of their community hold. During a March 14
conversation with poloff, Jaffna's Roman Catholic Vicar-
General Father Nicholas, lamenting the situation,
stated: "When Jaffna people go somewhere, they buy up
property and act like little lords, so these feelings of
resentment are understandable." In addition, Suresh
Premachandran, a Jaffna candidate for the Tamil National
Alliance, told polchief on March 15 that "northern
Tamils have a sense of entitlement, almost a feeling of
birthright, that they should lead Sri Lanka's Tamil
community."

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Eastern Tamils: Largely rural
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6. (C) On the flip side, eastern "Batticaloa" Tamils
tend to be more rural and largely poorer than Tamils who
are from the north. (Batticaloa town is the major
center of Tamil culture in the east.) In eastern Sri
Lanka, there are very few institutions of higher
learning and Tamil society is mainly a rural one that
has been largely isolated from mainstream Sri Lankan
society until relatively recently. Eastern Tamils tend
to be fishermen or subsistence farmers. Tamils from the
east also tend to be from lower castes. A high
percentage, for example, are from one of the lowest
castes, called "Dhobys," who traditionally wash clothes.
Moreover, few of the Tamils living in Colombo or
overseas are from the east. All of these factors work
to make eastern Tamils feel that they have been
disadvantaged compared to their Tamil brethren from the
north.

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Tensions are there, but has Karuna Exaggerated them?
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7. (C) Given the disparity in their relative
situations, it is understandable that there would be
some tension between eastern and northern Tamil
societies. That tension has simmered over the course of
generations at a very low level, however. There are no
recorded instances of fighting between the two groups,
for example. While there have been political disputes
that touched on the societal tensions over the years,
these disputes have never been that serious.


8. (C) In that sense, Karuna seems to have exaggerated
the depth of the divide in order to generate the maximum
political effect. While not denying the validity of his
specific claims regarding discrimination within LTTE
ranks, observers have accused Karuna of working hard to
incite eastern Tamils against northerners, so as to
buttress his political position in the east vis-a-vis
the LTTE. Roman Catholic Bishop of Batticaloa Kingsley
Swampillai, for example, told poloff that he felt that
Karuna had acted sheerly out of self-interest. He
accused Karuna of breaking with the Tigers not out of
genuine concern for eastern Tamils, but rather because
he (Karuna) wished to be seen as an equal to
Prabhakaran.

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COMMENT
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9. (C) Although Karuna seems to have exaggerated the
depth of the divide for his own reasons, his comments
have highlighted -- and helped widen -- the breach in
Tamil society. Even if Karuna is eventually undermined
by the main LTTE organization, which is a real
possibility, his effort to harness eastern resentment
against the north will have had an impact. While "Tamil
unity" could be restored in a fashion down the road, for
example, it is likely that easterners and northerners
may never quite fit together again the same way as they
did before the split. In the short term, this societal
divide could come to complicate the peace process, as
eastern Tamils could demand separate representation in
peace talks. At the same time, however, if the
eastern/northern divide becomes even sharper, "Tamil
nationalism" -- the ideology that has fueled the LTTE --
could become a diminished force. This potentially might
work to make a settlement of Sri Lanka's ethnic conflict
easier down the line. END COMMENT.


10. (U) Minimize considered.

LUNSTEAD