PRESIDENT RAJAPAKSE REQUESTS DS ADVICE ON HIS

C O N F I D E N T I A L COLOMBO 002087 SIPDIS SIPDIS FOR DS A/S GRIFFIN AND S/CT COORDINATOR CRUMPTON FROM AMBASSADOR E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/18/2016 TAGS: ASEC PTER CE SUBJECT: PRESIDENT RAJAPAKSE REQUESTS DS ADVICE ON HIS SECURITY REF: COLOMBO 2010 Classified By: Ambassador Robert O. Blake, Jr. for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d). ¶1. (C) Defense Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapakse, brother of President Mahinda Rajapakse, contacted me to ask if the United States could advise the President and his security detail how they might improve all aspects of his security. The Secretary said the President had been impressed with the security provided to him during his recent visit to UNGA and thought his own security detail could benefit from the advice and experience of Diplomatic Security. Comment -------------- ¶2. (C) If there is scope for DS to undertake a consultation visit to assess the strengths, weaknesses and gaps of President Rajapakse's security detail, the Embassy's RSO Pitt Orr and I recommend that DS and S/CT respond favorably to this request. In the past year the Liberation Tamil Tigers of Eelam (LTTE) have conducted a series of assassinations and attempted assassinations of senior Government of Sri Lanka Officials and other high value targets including the Chief of Staff of the Army, the third in command of the Army and, on December 1, 2006, Secretary of Defense Rajapaske (ref). These attacks have revived a traditional LTTE tactic of attacking senior leadership that resulted in the death of President Premadasa in 1993 and a narrow escape for President Bandaranaike in 1999. Thank you for your consideration. Regards, BLAKE