Special Media Reaction: Editorial Reaction to

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 000089

SIPDIS

DEPT FOR S/ES, INR/MR, PA
SA/INS (CAMP, SIM, GOWER) SA/PD (SCENSNY, ROGERS,
PALLADINO); SSA/PAS

UNCLASSIFIED SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958:N/A
TAGS: PHUM KPAO PTER EAID OIIP PREL CE LTTE
SUBJECT: Special Media Reaction: Editorial Reaction to
Ambassador's January 10 Speech to the American Chamber of
Commerce on Peace Process

REFTELS: A) Colombo 2166 (2005) B) Colombo 0054 C) Colombo
0072


1. (U) Summary: English and Sinhala editorialists January
12 praised Ambassador Lunstead's January 10 speech to the
American Chamber of Commerce in which he noted that peace
should be the nation's highest priority, criticized recent
LTTE violence and lauded the GOSL's restrained response to
LTTE attacks. Some pro-LTTE Tamil media declined to
editorialize; others reacted by reiterating Tamil
nationalist grievances. State-run Rupavahini television
aired Information Officer's reiteration of the main points
of the speech on all evening English and vernacular
broadcasts on January 11 and morning broadcasts January 12.
End Summary.


2. (U) Government-owned media played up the statement the
most: Bandula Jayasekara, newly appointed editor of the
government-owned Daily News titled his January 12 editorial
"Thank you, Mr. Ambassador." Jayasekara opined, "Thank you,
Mr. Ambassador, for the bold stand which we hope would be
emulated by all those actors and entities in the
international system... As Ambassador Lunstead explained,
the Lankan security forces have greatly enhanced their
military skills as a result of cooperation extended them by
the United States." State-owned television station
Rupavahini carried footage of IO's two-minute reiteration of
the Ambassador's message, with Sinhala and Tamil voice-overs
on vernacular programs. Independent Asia Broadcasting
Corporation (ABC) radio network also carried a similar sound-
bite from PAO on all stations' news briefs.


3. (U) The Sinhala nationalist press, including the
independent Island, shouted "three cheers and hats off" to
Ambassador Lunstead in its editorial, arguing, "There is a
limit to tolerance and patience, the U.S. seems to have
said... Professional peaceniks... have a habit of branding
anyone who criticizes the LTTE racist. Perhaps they will
steer clear of [Mr. Lunstead] for fear of losing peace
dollars... We hope that the other co-chairs and the worthy
members of the international community will borrow a leaf
from Mr. Lunstead's book and tell the LTTE to choose between
abandoning violence or face dire consequences... We don't
need Co-Chairs and monitors to act like spectators or
commentators. They must play an active role in the peace
making." Sister paper to the Island, the Sinhala daily
Divaina, lauded "the refreshing American statement." The
editorial contended the U.S. has set an example to the
international community and boosted the morale of the Sri
Lanka Army, but argued the U.S. had spoken too late,
claiming with U.S. help Sri Lanka could have solved the
terrorist problem long ago.


4. (U) The government-owned Daily New and the independent
Island featured political cartoons depicting Ambassador
Lunstead in their January 12 editorial sections. The Daily
News pictured Uncle Sam shouting to a cowering tiger with a
bomb tied to his tail, "I'm warning you." The Island
pictures the U.S. Ambassador under a large-eared President
George W. Bush mask stating, "Stop violent activities and
return to peace talks."


5. (U) Pro-LTTE Sudar Oli carried a transcript of the
speech without editorial comment. Pro-LTTE news website
Nidarsanam, however, bannered "an open letter to the
Ambassador" from an American professor, Aaron Rajah of San
Francisco, who contended the American Government had
overlooked the plight of the Tamils. Criticizing the
purported difference in the U.S. response to the murder of a
pro-LTTE Tamil National Alliance Member of Parliament in
December and that of Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar in
August 2005, he argued, "In the recent brutal murder of
democratically elected Tamil law maker, Mr. Joseph
Parajasingham, on Christmas mass day in a Christian church,
your silence in not condemning such a brutal attack on Tamil
elected leaders only concreted the Tamil's despise of the
electoral process." Rajah also reiterated common
allegations of LTTE sympathizers that the Sri Lankan
Security Forces had recently raped and murdered several
Tamil civilians and were complicit with paramilitary groups
in the murder of LTTE cadres and prominent Tamils.


6. (U) Comment: Select English and Sinhala media offered
exuberant praise of the Ambassador's speech, exaggerating
U.S. assistance to the Sri Lankan military and goading the
Tigers to heed this latest message. Sinhala nationalist
media, as usual, also called for more active U.S.
involvement in the peace process. Surprisingly, government-
owned Tamil sister paper to the Daily News and Dinamina did
not comment on the speech, nor did mainstream independent
Tamil media. As expected, the pro-LTTE media ignored the
Ambassador's line recognizing legitimate historical
grievances of the Tamil people, preferring to rationalize
the actions of the LTTE. (The full text of the speech may be
found at http://srilanka.usembassy.gov/.) End Comment.

Lunstead