SRI LANKA: SECURITY FORCES AND TIGERS ENGAGEMENT

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 001313 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/12/2016 TAGS: PREL PTER PHUM MOPS PREF CE SUBJECT: SRI LANKA: SECURITY FORCES AND TIGERS ENGAGEMENT SPREADS REF: COLOMBO 1295 AND PREVIOUS Classified By: James R. Moore, Charge' d'Affaires for reasons 1.4(b,d) ¶1. (C) Military engagement between the Government of Sri Lanka (SLA) and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) spread on the evening of August 11 through the morning of August 12, marking the most significant military exchange between the parties since the February 2002 Ceasefire. Initial reports from multiple sources indicate the following: Jaffna District -------------- ¶2. (C) At approximately 6 PM on August 11, the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) began shelling from its southernmost checkpoint on the Jaffna peninsula (Muhamalai) toward the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)-controlled "Elephant Pass" leading to Tiger headquarters Kilinochchi along the A9 highway (which links Jaffna to Colombo). Poloff spoke with HALO Trust humanitarian mine action program manager (and warden for the British High Commission) Stephen Pritchard in Jaffna periodically throughout the evening and night of August 11, who reported artillery fire every thirty seconds for several hours, and then every two minutes throughout the night amidst an electrical and cell phone black out and spotty ground communications. He also reported seeing rockets fired from the direction of the Palaly air force base, which also serves as the commercial airport, at approximately 9 PM, and from SLA-controlled Point Pedro, the northernmost point of the Jaffna peninsula. Pro-LTTE Tamilnet reported at approximately 10 PM August 11 that Tiger light aircraft had fired rockets at the airbase, damaging at least two helicopters. A military source told DATT August 12 that LTTE fired cannon artillery from the Pooneryn peninsula towards Palaly Air Force Base, damaging one helicopter. Both sides report casualties. ¶3. (C) Multiple military sources told DATT that approximately 10 Sea Tigers had attacked the Sri Lanka Navy (SLN)-controlled island of Kaytes, off the western edge of the Jaffna peninsula, on the evening of August 11 and early morning of August 12. One source reported SLN repulsed the attack, sinking four small Sea Tiger boats and killing 30 to 40 Tigers. Another source told DATT that fighting was continuing in the Madativu area of Kytes island as of 12:30 PM local time August 12. NGO contacts in the area confirmed hearing artillery fire at that time. ¶4. (C) DATT was informed by Army Operations that the LTTE sent approximately 500 soldiers to the Forward Defense Line (FDL) of Muhamalai. A police source told RSO on August 12 that approximately 200 LTTE fighters had been killed at the FDL. The source reported heavy damage to one of the SLA regiments, including eight killed and 70 wounded in action. Reports indicated that the SLA was shelling the border between Kilinochchi and Jaffna to prevent the LTTE from sending reinforcements to the FDL this morning. Other Areas -------------- ¶5. (C) On the afternoon of August 11, according to a military spokesman, the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF) bombed an LTTE base in the northern part of the eastern Batticaloa district, approximately 40 km south of the Mavilaru water sluice around which military engagement has been ongoing since July 20 (reftels),according to a military spokesman. ¶6. (C) According to military sources, at approximately 3 AM and 6 AM on August 12 the LTTE attacked Sri Lanka Navy and Air Force bases at China Bay, Trincomalee. A UK-citizen USAID contractor heard the artillery exchange from her home in Trincomalee. An Australian diplomat told conoff at 11:45 AM August 12 that heavy shelling was continuing in COLOMBO 00001313 002 OF 002 Trincomalee. 40 International NGO Staff Stranded in Jaffna -------------- ¶7. (C) HALO Program Manager Stephen Pritchard told poloff at 8 AM on August 12 that HALO's local staff had met him at 7:45 AM with a message reportedly from the LTTE demanding that all expatriates leave Jaffna by 10 AM that morning. With commercial flights suspended due to the attack on the airport the night before, and SLA-LTTE engagement along the A9 highway, the approximately 40 expatriate international NGO staff - including one American under the auspices of UNHCR - were all currently accounted for but unable to leave, and were considering moving to a bunker on the UN compound. As of 1 PM August 12, a United Nations Office of Coordination of Humanitarian Agencies (UNOCHA) emergency action committee decided not to make plans to evacuate UN and ICRC staff at this time, but may consider evacuating non-essential personnel at a later time. RSO and conoff spoke with AmCit Johnny Park of UNHCR Jaffna on August 12. Park was safe. He reported that most expatriates are under a 24-hour curfrew, but that UNHCR staff had curfew passes to visit camps in which approximately 5000 new internally displaced persons (IDP) had gathered since military action began the previous night. ¶8. (C) The HALO staff had moved to their heavily fortified office, where at approximately 11 AM, Pritchard said the SLA had attempted to take HALO's heavy demining vehicles, including tractors and Land Rovers. DATT later called military contacts who assured him they would not use US-funded humanitarian vehicles for military purposes, and HALO plans to disable its vehicles until further notice. MOORE