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 MALDIVES'>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