OFFICIAL INFORMAL NUMBER 072 (05/17/04)

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 000794 SIPDIS OFFICIAL INFORMAL FOR SA/INS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/17/14 TAGS: AMGT CE MV LTTE SUBJECT: OFFICIAL INFORMAL NUMBER 072 (05/17/04) Classified by DCM James F. Entwistle for reasons 1.5 (b) and (d). CONTENTS: A/S ROCCA VISIT - AKASHI COMES TO TOWN - AFSA AWARDS - MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE ACCOUNT - TIGER-AFFILIATED GROUP RAISING FUNDS IN U.S.? - MUSLIM LEADER COMES UNDER FIRE IN GSL PRESS A/S ROCCA VISIT -------------- ¶1. (SBU) Christina had a successful visit to Trincomalee over the weekend, meeting with a wide variety of people and visiting three AID/OTI projects. Frontchannel reporting on the Sri Lanka portion of her trip will be on the wires Tuesday. The Ambassador reports from Male' that the Maldives portion of the trip is proceeding well. He returns to Colombo tonight (Monday). (DCM) AKASHI COMES TO TOWN -------------- ¶2. (C) Japanese envoy arrived in Colombo over the weekend and will be here until mid-week. In a lunchtime discussion with donor representatives today, Akashi said his visit was entirely "fact-finding," to determine what can be done on the peace front in the wake of the parliamentary elections. He claimed to have no particular message for either the government or the LTTE. He met on Sunday with Norwegian Ambassador Bratskaar and IFI representatives but, as of the lunchtime chat, had not met yet with the President, the Prime MInister, Foreign Minister or the opposition leader. He plans to go to Kilinocchi on Wednesday ("I assume I'll be received by Tamilchelvam.") At Akashi's request, DCM gave a brief overview of FM Kadirgamar's trip to Washington and A/S Rocca's visit here. Akashi specifically asked about Kadirgamar's ISGA-bashing at Brookings. On that subject, donor reps at the lunch noted to Akashi the need for the government to speak with one voice on sensitive subjects like the basis for the next round of talks, as well as the need for the LTTE and the TNA to be challenged about election manipulation and fraud when they posit that the election results clearly show that the LTTE is now the sole representative of the Tamil people. Akashi clearly was in listening mode; we'll seek to put together some frontchannel readout on his meetings later in the week (he is scheduled to call on the Ambassador on Wednesday). (DCM) AFSA AWARDS -------------- ¶3. (U) We would like to brag on our brilliant CLO, Tahmina Novak, who was just named as one of two runners-up for the ¶M. Juanita Guess award for outstanding service as a community liaison officer (see State 108116). (DCM) MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE ACCOUNT -------------- ¶4. (SBU) We received a country clearance cable over the weekend for an initial MCC visit June 1-4. The timing fits nicely with our in-house deliberations with how to proceed. (DCM) TIGER-AFFILIATED GROUP RAISING FUNDS IN U.S.? -------------- ¶5. (C) Earlier in the year, Mission passed reports to Washington that a chapter of the LTTE-controlled Tamil Rehabilitation Organization (TRO) had sprung up in the U.S., based in Princeton, New Jersey and operating a website at www.trousa.org. In a May 16 report, the pro- Tiger website "TamilNet" stated that the TRO and "Operation USA" (which is apparently a fundraising push by the TRO in the U.S.) had donated approximately USD 100,000 worth of medical equipment in the north and east of Sri Lanka. We just wanted to flag this matter for you. (POL) MUSLIM LEADER COMES UNDER FIRE IN GSL PRESS -------------- ¶6. (C) FYI. Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC) leader Rauf Hakeem has come under nasty fire in the government- controlled press recently. An article on the front page of the May 17 English-language DAILY NEWS, quoting a report from the "Rupavahini" television network, alleges that Hakeem, who is married, engaged in an extramarital affair with the daughter of a former MP. The article also claimed that Hakeem regularly drinks alcohol (a damaging allegation against a Muslim politician). (The Hakeem allegation is part of the general smearing techniques used in the GSL-controlled press of late, including another front-page article today detailing purported UNP involvement in selling roofing materials meant for poor people.) The Hakeem stories transparently seem to have been generated in retaliation for the lack of SLMC support for President Kumaratunga's United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA) political grouping. Meanwhile, the UPFA continues to work with the all-Buddhist monk Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU) party in an effort to gain that group's support ahead of the parliamentary session beginning on May 18, when the offices of Deputy Speaker and deputy Chairman of Committees will be voted on. In other developments, the tea estate Tamil Ceylon Worker's Congress party has reportedly reconfirmed that it will not support the UPFA in Parliament. (POL/PAO) LUNSTEAD