SRI LANKA: PRESIDENT RAJAPAKSA ASSEMBLING

C O N F I D E N T I A L COLOMBO 001549 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/21/2016 TAGS: PGOV PHUM CE SUBJECT: SRI LANKA: PRESIDENT RAJAPAKSA ASSEMBLING INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS MISSION REF: COLOMBO 1474 Classified By: AMBASSADOR ROBERT O. BLAKE, JR. FOR REASONS 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (C) During his late August trip to London, President Rajapaksa contacted Amnesty International to seek advice on setting terms of reference for an independent, international body to examine allegations of human rights abuses in Sri Lanka. This move came in the midst of significant international attention on a number of high profile human rights cases, including the murder of 17 NGO workers in Muttur and the August 12 bombing of a facility that the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) alleged was a school. Both NGOs and the international community strongly criticized the government for failing to adequately investigate or prosecute human rights abuse cases. Several Sri Lankan officials posited that the LTTE deliberately spreads abuse allegations as disinformation. A number of Government of Sri Lanka GSL interlocutors told emboffs that the government is willing to permit independent investigations in order to exonerate itself. ¶2. (C) President Rajapaksa's proposed body is beginning to crystallize. In New York for the UNGA, he confirmed to U/S Nick Burns and A/S Boucher that he is putting together an international human rights observer mission to work with Sri Lankan investigators. President Rajapksa said he asked Former Indian Chief Justice Baghwati to lead the mission and coordinate all of the current investigations. He has also asked UN High Commissioner Louise Arbor and Amnesty International Secretary-General Irene Kahn each to nominate a member of SIPDIS the proposed group. In total, President Rajapaksa expects the international investigative group to have seven members. ¶3. (C) September 21, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) Additional Secretary Geetha de Silva told the DCM that Deputy Solicitor General Yasantha Kodagoda departed for Europe that day to meet UN and Amnesty International representatives in Geneva and London. Kodagoda will discuss both groups' nominations to the proposed international investigative body. He will meet with Louise Arbor in Geneva on September 22 and Irene Kahn in London on September 26. BLAKE