Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
06COLOMBO1457
2006-09-06 13:57:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Colombo
Cable title:
SRI LANKA: GOVERNMENT HAS CONTROL OF SAMPUR; LULL
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C O N F I D E N T I A L COLOMBO 001457
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/06/2016
TAGS: PGOV PTER PHUM MOPS CE
SUBJECT: SRI LANKA: GOVERNMENT HAS CONTROL OF SAMPUR; LULL
IN MILITARY HOSTILITIES
Classified By: CDA JAMES R. MOORE FOR REASONS 1.4(b) and (d)
C O N F I D E N T I A L COLOMBO 001457
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/06/2016
TAGS: PGOV PTER PHUM MOPS CE
SUBJECT: SRI LANKA: GOVERNMENT HAS CONTROL OF SAMPUR; LULL
IN MILITARY HOSTILITIES
Classified By: CDA JAMES R. MOORE FOR REASONS 1.4(b) and (d)
1. (U) Sri Lankan media here widely reported Government
of Sri Lanka (GSL) statements that its security forces
took control of Sampur, the eastern coastal area from
which the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) had
launched attacks on the town of Trincomalee, its harbor,
and surrounding areas. "There is no victory there, but the
government is happy it could neutralize artillery threats
to the naval port and other vital economic centers in the
east," defense spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella is quoted
saying in a September 6 article in the Daily News.
Nevertheless, in a September 4 speech at his Sri Lanka
Freedom Party's (SLFP's) congress to mark the party's
55th anniversary, President Rajapaksa highlighted gaining
control of Sampur as a military victory.
2. (C) Pro-LTTE website TamilNet reported that GSL forces
took over a week to move 3.5km from a neighboring base
into Sampur and that the LTTE initially put up strong
resistance, but later vacated Sampur town. In a
September 6 meeting with the Charge', Defense Secretary
(and the President's brother) Gothabaya Rajapaksa said
GSL troops were moving cautiously and were taking time to
demine the area and sweep for traps in order to secure
Sampur fully. The Defense Secretary said the LTTE had
initially moved into Sampur, an area not delineated to
either the GSL or the LTTE in the 2002 Cease-Fire
Agreement (CFA),in order to gain a strategic advantage.
Secretary Rajapaksa said the LTTE always intended to use
SIPDIS
Sampur as a military base of operations, and echoed other
government officials who told the media the GSL attack on
the area was a defensive posture in order to stop LTTE
attacks on neighboring Trincomalee harbor.
3. (C) The Defense Secretary also told Charge' that
current military operations are at a halt, and said the
president intends to have a political solution ready
"before he leaves" on September 13 for the Non-Aligned
Movement Summit in Havana and the UN General Assembly in
New York. Secretary Rajapaksa spoke of the need to
develop the northern Jaffna peninsula economically and
provide Tamils a strong incentive to support the
government rather than turning to the Tigers.
4. (C) Comment: Over the last five weeks of hostilities,
there has been much speculation about the fate of Sampur.
Now that the government has gained control of the area,
fighting there has come to a halt. While the current
lull provides a welcome calm for beleaguered civilians,
there is still a long distance between a cessation of
major hostilities and a return to negotiations. While
Defense Secretary Rajapaksa's focus on reaching out to
the Tamil civilian population is welcome, his speculation
that a "political solution" is imminent in less than a
week is highly optimistic. End comment.
MOORE
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/06/2016
TAGS: PGOV PTER PHUM MOPS CE
SUBJECT: SRI LANKA: GOVERNMENT HAS CONTROL OF SAMPUR; LULL
IN MILITARY HOSTILITIES
Classified By: CDA JAMES R. MOORE FOR REASONS 1.4(b) and (d)
1. (U) Sri Lankan media here widely reported Government
of Sri Lanka (GSL) statements that its security forces
took control of Sampur, the eastern coastal area from
which the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) had
launched attacks on the town of Trincomalee, its harbor,
and surrounding areas. "There is no victory there, but the
government is happy it could neutralize artillery threats
to the naval port and other vital economic centers in the
east," defense spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella is quoted
saying in a September 6 article in the Daily News.
Nevertheless, in a September 4 speech at his Sri Lanka
Freedom Party's (SLFP's) congress to mark the party's
55th anniversary, President Rajapaksa highlighted gaining
control of Sampur as a military victory.
2. (C) Pro-LTTE website TamilNet reported that GSL forces
took over a week to move 3.5km from a neighboring base
into Sampur and that the LTTE initially put up strong
resistance, but later vacated Sampur town. In a
September 6 meeting with the Charge', Defense Secretary
(and the President's brother) Gothabaya Rajapaksa said
GSL troops were moving cautiously and were taking time to
demine the area and sweep for traps in order to secure
Sampur fully. The Defense Secretary said the LTTE had
initially moved into Sampur, an area not delineated to
either the GSL or the LTTE in the 2002 Cease-Fire
Agreement (CFA),in order to gain a strategic advantage.
Secretary Rajapaksa said the LTTE always intended to use
SIPDIS
Sampur as a military base of operations, and echoed other
government officials who told the media the GSL attack on
the area was a defensive posture in order to stop LTTE
attacks on neighboring Trincomalee harbor.
3. (C) The Defense Secretary also told Charge' that
current military operations are at a halt, and said the
president intends to have a political solution ready
"before he leaves" on September 13 for the Non-Aligned
Movement Summit in Havana and the UN General Assembly in
New York. Secretary Rajapaksa spoke of the need to
develop the northern Jaffna peninsula economically and
provide Tamils a strong incentive to support the
government rather than turning to the Tigers.
4. (C) Comment: Over the last five weeks of hostilities,
there has been much speculation about the fate of Sampur.
Now that the government has gained control of the area,
fighting there has come to a halt. While the current
lull provides a welcome calm for beleaguered civilians,
there is still a long distance between a cessation of
major hostilities and a return to negotiations. While
Defense Secretary Rajapaksa's focus on reaching out to
the Tamil civilian population is welcome, his speculation
that a "political solution" is imminent in less than a
week is highly optimistic. End comment.
MOORE