SRI LANKAN POST-TSUNAMI RECONSTRUCTION UPDATE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 COLOMBO 000583 SIPDIS SENSITIVE DEPT FOR EB A/S ANTHONY WAYNE FROM AMBASSADOR LUNSTEAD; SA/INS FOR J.BRENNIG/N.DEAN; PLEASE PASS TO TSUNAMI RECONSTRUCTION TASK FORCE; TREASURY FOR C.CARNES E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID ECON PGOV CE SUBJECT: SRI LANKAN POST-TSUNAMI RECONSTRUCTION UPDATE (MARCH 23, 2005) REF: A. COLOMBO 557 ¶B. COLOMBO 558 This cable is for use in the Asian Tsunami IAWG on March 23, 2005. ¶1. (SBU) Summary: In Sri Lanka, post-disaster relief and reconstruction efforts, many of which were unavoidably developed and implemented on an ad hoc basis, appear to be evolving into a more structured, longer-term implementation phase. There are three main organizations currently spearheading the relief and rehabilitation efforts: the Task Force for Relief, the Transitional Accommodation Project and the Task Force for Rebuilding the Nation. How well these organizations coordinate with each other, with local officials and with donors will be crucial to the success of the reconstruction effort. President Kumaratunga has been briefed on concerns with the relief and reconstruction process by the Ambassador, and by representatives from the NGO community. Former Clinton Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles expressed both concern over the amount of work still to be done, but admiration for the efforts already made, during a March 21-22 visit on behalf of former-President Clinton with the UN. Transitional shelter issues remain challenging, but appear to be working more smoothly. While we can see some problems looming in the distance (the current duty- free entry period for relief and reconstruction items ends April 26),the generally positive reception our concerns have received over the past week leaves us hopeful that that the GSL tsunami recovery effort is rounding into shape. End Summary Programs! Can't Tell the Players Without a Program -------------- -------------- ¶2. (U) We thought it would be helpful to do a quick review of which Government of Sri Lanka (GSL) groups have what role in the post-tsunami structure. ¶3. (SBU) The Task Force for Relief (TAFOR) is headed by Tilak Ranaviraja, a career public servant who wears several hats, including Secretary of Public Security, Law and Order; Commissioner General of Essential Services; and Chairman of the Central Environmental Authority (Sri Lanka's rough equivalent of EPA) - portfolios he maintains responsibility for in addition to his role in tsunami relief. Ranaviraja is an effective public SIPDIS servant and long-time Embassy contact. He served for six years as DCM at the Sri Lankan Embassy in Washington. ¶4. (U) Transitional Accommodation Project (TAP) is a sub- group of TAFOR, also headed by Ranaviraja. This group focuses exclusively on the transitional housing situation. ¶5. (SBU) Task Force for Rebuilding the Nation (TAFREN) is focused on the permanent reconstruction phase of the Government's efforts. Presidential Advisor, and Strategic Enterprise Management Agency CEO, Mano Tittawella (another close Embassy contact) is the Chair. The Task Force has several high-profile private sector representatives each of whom heads a specific sector group. Former John Keels (a major Sri Lankan conglomerate) Chairman Ken Balendra, now retired, has been the most active TAFREN private sector member, serving nominally as the Deputy Chairman and focusing on road and bridges. ¶6. (SBU) Coordination among these groups has been inconsistent, oftentimes taking place as a result of our engaging the two groups on specific overlapping issues. Nonetheless, as each entity has becomes more familiar with its portfolio, processes have begun to improve. Both Ranaviraja and Tittawella are close to President Kumaratunga, but neither has a political base of his own or the authority needed to direct various line ministries. Ambassador's Meeting with President -------------- ¶7. (SBU) Ambassador met with President Kumaratunga last week to review Tsunami relief and reconstruction activities (Refs A and B). Kumaratunga thought the relief and rehabilitation effort was going well, but accepted Ambassador's concerns regarding overall process problems and agreed to look into them. She remained adamant about the 100m/200m coastal exclusion zones, but promised to consider appointing a ministerial level "tsunami czar" to help quickly resolve issues that arise. Transitional Shelter -------------- ¶8. (U) The transitional shelter program has picked up some momentum, with the Task Force for Relief (TAFOR) and the Transitional Accommodation Project (TAP) announcing goals to complete 10,000 transitional shelter units by April 1. During a March 18 meeting with TAFOR and TAP Chief Ranaviraja and shelter-related NGOs, several positive initiatives were launched: --UNHCR has provided an assistant for Ranaviraja who is knowledgeable about transitional housing issues. --TAP will be posting its own website with information related to transitional housing needs and NGO efforts. --The GSL is issuing specifications for tents in order to avoid additional import and further use of sub-standard products. --Ranaviraja has requested that 25 percent of the land approved for permanent housing resettlement be made available for temporary shelters. --TAP is translating internationally agreed humanitarian transitional housing standards into Sinhala and Tamil for distribution throughout the affected areas, with instructions for all groups working in affected areas to follow those standards. --The Department of Census is releasing land-use maps for GSL and NGOs to use in identifying suitable land for rebuilding efforts. --It was decided that TAP would meet weekly, alternating meetings between Colombo and the field, in order to ensure that District-level Government officials are kept in the loop. NGO Meeting with President Kumaratunga -------------- ¶9. (SBU) Ranaviraja also took a representative sample of NGOs and international organizations to meet with President Kumaratunga. While some participants felt the President was defensive, others have speculated that Ranaviraja wanted to have back-up, so that he was not the only one bringing problems to the President's attention. Bowles Visit -------------- ¶10. (U) Former Clinton Chief of Staff Erskine Bowles visited Sri Lanka from March 21-22, filling in for President Clinton in his UN tsunami capacity during his recovery from heart surgery. The UN hosted Bowles' visit, during which he had the opportunity to travel south to Galle. Bowles acknowledged that he was at first discouraged by what he saw, realizing how much more still needed to be done. After the District Secretary in Galle, however, showed him a video of the immediate post- tsunami situation, Bowles said he then realized "how much SIPDIS had been accomplished in what is actually a very short period of time." The Ambassador hosted a country team dinner for Bowles March 22. Bowles told the press that Clinton would visit Sri Lanka again "in two months." Import Clearance -------------- ¶11. (SBU) Bureaucratic inertia continues to pose a challenge to the import of relief and reconstruction items and equipment. Nonetheless, the GSL seems intent on finding solutions when problems are raised (unfortunately, however, on a case-by-case basis). We are concerned, however, that as the deadline of April 26 for the duty free import of certain items approaches, the GSL will again be faced with both the bottleneck and bad publicity of having items sent for tsunami work facing duty charges. ¶12. (SBU) The Navy and Customs appear to have worked out a system for clearing cargo at the port, with the Navy clarifying this week that it would not stop its security inspections. There were press reports this week, however, of over 100 containers that had not been inspected because no one had stepped forward to claim the cargo. Therefore, the containers are sitting in warehouses and could be turned over to the Department of Social Services if not claimed within 21 days. Another problem, according to GSL contacts, is that some foreign NGOs and private donors sometimes send relief items without setting up a distribution network in country beforehand. Comment -------------- ¶13. (SBU) We are at an important juncture, where senior leadership appears to be grasping the scope of the challenges facing the relief and reconstruction efforts. We have had good receptivity to our concerns, and there has been some positive momentum in the resolution of problems. The key next step, however, is implementation of a process that seeks to involve key stakeholders in implementation and that uses the expertise and experience of the private sector, Government and NGOs that are on the ground to move forward in an efficient, cooperative manner. We are hopeful that the GSL, faced with a truly daunting task, is slowly getting its act together. End Comment. LUNSTEAD