SRI LANKA: STALEMATE OVER STATUE IN TRINCOMALEE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 COLOMBO 001053

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/14/2015
TAGS: PTER PGOV PHUM PREL KIRF CE LTTE
SUBJECT: SRI LANKA: STALEMATE OVER STATUE IN TRINCOMALEE
CONTINUES

REF: A. COLOMBO 955

B. COLOMBO 1039

Classified By: CDA:JENTWISTLE. REASON: 1.4 (B,D).

--------------
SUMMARY
--------------


1. (SBU) Summary: During a June 8-10 visit to the eastern
district of Trincomalee, poloff and POL FSN conducted a
series of discussions with government officials, religious
leaders, non-governmental organizations (NGOs),and human
rights activists. While somewhat muted and at times
overshadowed by issues of tsunami relief distribution and the
continued debate about the joint mechanism (septel),
religious and ethnic tension remains high as the standoff
over the controversial Buddha statue (Ref A) continues. The
Tamil People's Organization, a front for the Liberation
Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE),announced June 2 that it will
give the Government until June 15 to remove the statue or
face civil unrest. END SUMMARY.

--------------
TRAVEL TO TRINCOMALEE
--------------


2. (SBU) Poloff and POL FSN conducted a series of meetings
from June 8-10 in Trincomalee with government officials,
religious leaders, NGOs, and human rights groups.
Discussions touched on a wide variety of topics, including
the current security situation and tensions arising from the
placement of the Buddha statue on public grounds (Ref A);
relief efforts for those displaced by the December 26
tsunami; the longstanding conflict between the Government of

SIPDIS
Sri Lanka (GSL) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
(LTTE); and the overall human rights and religious freedom
situation in the district.

--------------
STANDOFF OVER STATUE
--------------


3. (SBU) Religious and ethnic tension remains high in
Trincomalee as the standoff over the controversial Buddha
statue continues. The May 18 decision by a local judge
ordering the removal of the statue, and the subsequent May 25
reaffirmation of the judge's order had not been implemented.
Hopes for a resolution now fall on a new court case,
initially scheduled to begin on June 13, but now postponed
until August 3. Government Agent (GA) for Trincomalee Gamini
Rodrigo told poloff that both parties involved, the Trishaw
(three-wheeled taxi) drivers union, which is affiliated with
the Sinhalese nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP),
and the LTTE-aligned Tamil People's Organization (TPO),led
by V. Vigneswaran, have agreed to abide by the Court's
decision.


4. (C) Most observers in Trincomalee see no actual problem
with the presence of the statue, as religious statues
representing a myriad of faiths, both large and small in
size, are abundant in the multi-ethnic district. Rather,
most Tamil sources seem to be offended by the manner in which
the statue was erected-- surreptitiously and in the middle of
the night. Many viewed its surprise appearance as a
deliberate provocation by the JVP. Trincomalee Bar
Association President K. Sivapalan indicated to poloff that
the location chosen to erect this particular statue seemed
odd for a religious symbol since a fish market, butcher shop,
and liquor store are all in close proximity.


5. (C) "Statue Politics," as many are calling this current
standoff, show both sides jockeying for position as questions
loom over the stalled Joint Mechanism and the continued
erosion of the Cease Fire Agreement (CFA) (Ref B). Residents
of Trincomalee are frustrated with the lack of progress on
both fronts, and some observers suggest the statue's erection
by the JVP is another way for the party to influence
Government deliberations over the Joint Mechanism. Arthur
Treiten of the Sri Lankan Monitoring Mission (SLMM) told
poloff and POL FSN that any movement on the Joint Mechanism,
which he sees as the real concern, would likely overshadow
the statue issue.
(6) (C) The TPO and the pro-LTTE Tamil National Alliance
(TNA) announced on June 2 plans for a large-scale strike for
June 15 unless the statue, now surrounded by barbed wire and
guarded by security forces, is removed. Rodrigo, Treiten,
and others suggested to poloff that the strike could be
further postponed depending on the outcome of the
(now-postponed) June 13 court case and in deference to the
ongoing "A Level" exams. However, in a June 10 meeting in
Colombo, TNA Parliamentarians Gajendrakumar Ponnambalam and
Suresh Premachandran, both representing Jaffna, told poloff
that the strike will go on as scheduled with an exemption for
students taking the "A level" exams. Both MPs suggested the
strike could turn violent and also suggested that the fragile
CFA could be undermined if the GSL fails to sign the Joint
Mechanism. (Comment: Both MPs are well known to this
Embassy for making dire predictions, most of which never
materialized.)


7. (SBU) Despite the tense political situation in
Trincomalee, the ground situation appears relatively
peaceful--largely due to the strong security force presence
throughout the district. Security forces were stationed,
sometimes two or three to a block in the town itself, and in
even greater concentration closer to the statue's location
near the bus stand. Some Trincomalee contacts have suggested
the placement of a Hindu statue alongside that of the Buddha
as a remedy, but no word has been publicly made as to whether
this would be acceptable to all parties.

--------------
Tsunami Aid

SIPDIS
--------------


8. (C) With all eyes in Trincomalee now focused on the
statue, attention to other important issues is being
diverted. Among such pressing matters is the rehabilitation
of tsunami-affected internally displaced persons (IDPs),as
well as IDPs from the conflict, some of whom have remained in
camps for more than 15 years. Some NGO sources lamented
that communication between the GSL and IDPs remains poor in
the East. According to NGO sources, some tsunami-affected
IDPs in certain areas have not received any aid for the past
two months. Brita Helleland from the United Nations High
Commission on Refugees (UNHCR) told poloff that the GSL
decision to centralize relief efforts and the slowness of the
customs system were huge obstacles in distributing aid.
Helleland also relayed to poloff that prior to the GSL
decision to centralize relief, NGOs, along with Trincomalee
authorities, had created their own "Joint Mechanism" to
distribute relief, which was subsequently stifled by the
center. NGO representatives told poloff that the Buffer Zone
requirement would be a stumbling block to rehabilitation
efforts, and were puzzled by the discrepancy between buffer
zone requirements in the North and East (200 meters),and
those in the South and West (100 meters). Helleland also
commented on the increased outward display of religious and
ethnic identity--in the form of flags, statues, and other
symbols--among the various communities in Trincomalee, a
trend also noticed by POL FSN.


9. (C) Another aspect complicating the IDP equation is the
potential conflict between tsunami-affected IDPs and
conflict-affected IDPs, many of whom live side-by-side in the
same camps. Discrepancies in aid and temporary shelter
provisions could lead to conflict between the two groups and
against the GSL, some sources speculated, as could
frustration by conflict-affected IDPs over lack of progress
in their situation since the CFA was signed in 2002.
Helleland told poloff that in Trincomalee the GSL had begun
to find land to give conflict-affected IDPs, but charged that
the central Government in Colombo was delaying this
initiative. Helleland offered little hope that these IDPs
would be allowed back on their old land--now occupied by the
LTTE--as most of it falls into the LTTE's High Security Zone.


10. (SBU) Poloff and POL FSN also met with Christian clergy
and a Muslim organization to discuss matters of religious
freedom. Both groups told poloff that they were free to
practice their religion, although some Christians told poloff
of parishioners being stopped by JVP members who asked how
the Christians benefited financially from going to church.

--------------
COMMENT
--------------


11. (C) The situation in Trincomalee remains tense but
quiet, largely due to the sizeable contingent of SLA
personnel now stationed in the district. Given the simmering
security situation in the traditionally volatile district,
whether the Government can or will comply with TNA pressure
to reduce that presence remains unclear. Unfortunately, just
as it has in its protests against the joint mechanism, the
Sinhalese nationalist JVP is using religion as a weapon in
its battle for the political limelight. While we do not
necessarily agree with the TNA MPs' predictions of
immediately impending doom, we do concur that increased civil
unrest-whatever happens on June 15-seems increasingly likely.
Our consular section chief is visiting Trincomalee today to
stay in touch with the American Community there.
ENTWISTLE