JOINT MECHANISM SIGNED BY GSL, PARLIAMENT

C O N F I D E N T I A L COLOMBO 001116

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/24/2015
TAGS: PGOV PTER EAID CE LTTE
SUBJECT: JOINT MECHANISM SIGNED BY GSL, PARLIAMENT
ADJOURNED UNTIL JULY 5


Classified By: DCM J. ENTWISTLE FOR REASONS 1.4(b) and (d)


1. (C) According to sources in the Presidential Secretariat,
M.S. Jayasinghe, the Secretary of the Ministry of Relief,
Rehabilitation, and Reconciliation (RRR),signed the
Post-Tsunami Operational Management Structure (P-TOMS),also
known as the Joint Mechanism (JM) for tsunami aid
distribution, around 7:30am June 24. Norwegian Ambassador
Hans Brattskar is reportedly now en-route to Kilinochchi with
the P-TOMS to obtain the signature of a representative of the
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE).


2. (C) Government Members of Parliament (MPs) tabled the
agreement as an adjournment motion in Parliament June 24, but
the session was suspended before debate could begin. Press
reports indicate that all of the MPs received copies of the
Joint Mechanism in three languages the morning of June 24.
(Note. The languages were English, Sinhala, and Tamil. End
note.) As Parliament convened, Opposition United National
Party (UNP) MPs sat on the Government side to permit the
Marxist Sinhalese nationalist Janatha Vimukthi Peremuna
(JVP),which left the government coalition over the P-TOMS,
to sit on the Opposition's side in protest. When Minister
Maithirpala Sirisena, Leader of the House, began to read the
text of the agreement to Parliament, JVP MPs disrupted the
proceedings, preventing him from continuing. The JVP
parliamentarians then walked out of the session, many of them
waving black flags and shouting slogans against the Joint
Mechanism. Amidst the pandemonium, Speaker W.M.J.
Lokkubandara adjourned Parliament until July 5. (Note.
Presidential Secretariat sources said that the President
asked Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapakse to speak to Parliament
in favor of the JM. He refused, indicating a possible desire
to keep all of his political options open. End note.)


3. (SBU) In the meantime, approximately 2000 people
protesting the JM blocked the road to Parliament. Police
used teargas to disperse the crowd. In press reports on June
23, the JVP had declared June 24 a national day of protest
agains the JM. As of noon June 24, there were no protests
within Colombo. However, protesters did limit access along
the sole road from the city to the Parliament building as
well as along the road to the President's house. A small
number of JVP-affiliated trade union members hung black flags
outside of the Ceylon Electricity Board (CEB) office in
solidarity, but CEB operations have not been affected as of
mid-day June 24. A source at Ceyolon Petroleum Corporation
(CPC) also indicated that work was unaffected and no one
planned to walk out in support of the JVP.


4. (SBU) Comment. The President has now done what she has
said she was going to do for weeks: moved ahead on the Joint
Mechanism, consequences be damned. It will be interesting to
see how long the JVP (who never expected to be in this
situation) can keep strikes and protests going. We're
following today's protest effort closely, but so far see
nothing worrisome from a security standpoint. End comment.

LUNSTEAD