Special Media Reaction: Tsunami Anniversary

UNCLAS COLOMBO 002164 SIPDIS DEPT FOR S/ES, INR/MR, PA SCA/INS (CAMP, SIM, GOWER) SCA/PD (SCENSNY, ROGERS, PALLADINO); SCA/PAS UNCLASSIFIED SIPDIS E.O. 12958:N/A TAGS: PHUM KPAO PTER EAID OIIP PREL CE SUBJECT: Special Media Reaction: Tsunami Anniversary Coverage ¶1. (U) Summary: All three English dailies carried Ambassador Lunstead's tsunami memorial message titled "America Joins Sri Lanka in Remembrance" on Friday, December 23. Sinhala and Tamil newspapers carried the op-ed in the vernacular on Saturday, December 24 and Monday, December 26. Complementing the Ambassador's message, print and television media widely covered the opening of the first USAID- sponsored playground for tsunami affected communities in Galle on the anniversary of the disaster. Several television news programs also carried the Department's tsunami message. End Summary. SIPDIS ¶2. (U) The Ambassador's approximately 650-word tsunami message appeared in all three English dailies, including government-owned Daily News, and independent Daily Mirror and Island on December 23. PAS sought a Friday placement so that Christmas stories and other tsunami anniversary pieces would not bury our message. Vernacular papers, including Sinhala Lankadeepa, Lakbima, Divaina and Dinamina, as well as government-owned Tamil Thinakaran and independent Tamil dailies Virakesari and Thinakkural carried Ambassador Lunstead's message on December 24 and 26, along with very few other statements from foreign missions. ¶3. (U) The USAID playground opening also garnered a surprising amount of media attention, despite other high- level commemorations on December 26. The independent Island ran a large cover photo of Ambassador Lunstead and Governor of the Southern Province Kingsley Wickramaratna descending down two parallel slides on the new playscape. Sinhala print press, more prominently represented in the southern district of Galle, provided coverage of the playground opening in newspapers of December 28. ¶4. (U) State-owned Rupavahini and independent Swarnavahini television stations carried footage of the playground opening, including Ambassador Lunstead's remarks and tsunami- survivor children enjoying the new equipment. Associated Press Television News also recorded the event in Galle, and Sri Lankan NGO and USAID implementing partner Sarvodaya interviewed Ambassador Lunstead for a short documentary on US-led tsunami reconstruction efforts. The American Broadcast Corporation (ABC) carried footage provided by AP in its December 27 national evening news broadcast. Rupavahini news and independent MTV also carried portions of the State Department's tsunami statement. ¶5. (U) Comment: We anticipated a flurry of memorial activities in Sri Lanka surrounding the first anniversary of the Boxing Day tsunami. Given the abundance of other events and messages, local media and international wire services especially highlighted the continuing efforts of the U.S. Government in tsunami relief and reconstruction, and brought home the message to the citizens of Sri Lanka that the U.S. recognizes much work is still to be done, by our hands and others, to help Sri Lanka "build back better." End Comment. LUNSTEAD