Special Media Reaction: LTTE Sinks Navy Ship Off

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 000053 SIPDIS DEPT FOR S/ES, INR/MR, PA SCA/INS (CAMP, SIM, GOWER) SCA/PD (SCENSNY, ROGERS, PALLADINO); SCA/PAS SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED E.O. 12958:N/A TAGS: PHUM KPAO PTER EAID OIIP PREL CE LTTE SUBJECT: Special Media Reaction: LTTE Sinks Navy Ship Off Trincomalee ¶1. (U) Summary: English and vernacular press on Sunday, January 8, overwhelmingly led with January 7th's pre-dawn LTTE suicide attack on the Sri Lanka Navy Dvora-class vessel off the coast of the eastern port of Trincomalee. English, Sinhala, and some independent Tamil press readily blamed the LTTE for the attack. Independent English and Sinhala media questioned the military's lack of retaliation. Pro-LTTE media highlighted the attack but denied Tiger involvement. End Summary. ¶2. (U) English and Sinhala government-owned newspapers, including the English Sunday Observer and Sinhala Sunday Dinamina, led with "LTTE blows up Dvora: 13 sailors missing, 2 rescued." By contrast, government-owned Tamil Thinakkural did not indict the LTTE when reporting the naval boat's sailors missing and presumed dead, headlining "SLN craft on mobile attacked in Trincomalee seas - 15 including two officers missing - two wounded" as its second lead story. ¶3. (U) Mainstream independent media, including the Sunday Times and its sister Sinhala paper Sunday Lankadeepa (1/8), bannered, "Tiger suicide attack on Navy craft kills 12." The article questioned whether the LTTE had declared war through the latest suicide attack despite not having given the formal two weeks notice required by the Ceasefire Agreement. In an op-ed seemingly written before the attack, Sunday Times (1/8) defense analyst Iqbal Atas denounced media pundits who claim a war between the LTTE and the Sri Lankan Forces would be unwinnable. ¶4. (U) Sinhala nationalist media in both English and Sinhala slanted reports of the suicide attack with criticism that the government has not responded militarily to the recent string of LTTE attacks. The Island (1/8) led with, "Frustration among forces over latest atrocity: Dvora blasted off Trincomalee harbor, 13 sailors presumed dead." The article described a "Black Tiger" suicide boat hidden among fishing vessels speeding suddenly toward the Navy ship, virtually eviscerating both boats within seconds, and quoted a "frustrated" Navy official as saying, "When do we consider the war to have started? There's a stark difference between tolerance and cowardice. We must have a retaliatory plan." The Island (1/9) published a political cartoon next to its editorial titled "Co-chairs as scarecrow" depicting a shark labeled "Inaction of Co-chairs" devouring the SLN boat. The editorial in the Sunday Divaina (1/9),a sister paper to the Sunday Island, argued the government should "take a firm decision on whether or not to re-launch the war." The paper's Defense Correspondent also argued that the Navy has not adequately monitored the sea around Trincomalee. ¶5. (U) All Tamil and pro-LTTE media reported the sunken naval boat in lead stories. Headlining, "SLN Dvora missing," pro-LTTE Tamil Net (1/8) published the military's accusation that suicide cadres had perpetrated the attack, but emphasized LTTE spokesman Daya Master's assertion that the LTTE were not involved. By contrast, the flagship Tamil newspaper, the mainstream but rarely LTTE-critical Virakesari, readily reported, "Black Tigers kill 13 Navy officers," followed by a story detailing the attack similar to those in mainstream English papers. Pro-LTTE Tamil daily Sudar Oli (1/09) buried three stories on page 11: "Dvora sunk in Trincomalee - 13 sailors killed - LTTE denies any involvement," "Government forces say LTTE style suicide attack," and "We cannot say that the LTTE is responsible - SLMM head Hauckland." ¶6. (SBU) Comment: English and Sinhala media did not hesitate to blame the LTTE for the attack, with the government-owned media reiterating again the President's commitment to pursuing peace talks despite Tiger aggression. Although government-owned Tamil paper Thinakaran uncharacteristically declined to blame the Tigers for the attack, the normally more circumspect Virakesari newspaper did not deny the LTTE hand in this attack, readily indicting the "Black Tigers." The Sinhala nationalist media continued to grumble over military inaction in the face of Tiger attacks. In highlighting attack after attack, sections of the independent media express skepticism about government inaction and perhaps suggest growing public pressure for a military response. End Comment. LUNSTEAD