Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07COLOMBO1023
2007-07-23 13:24:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Colombo
Cable title:
SRI LANKA: POLICE FORCES KILL TAMIL TIGER LEADER
VZCZCXRO9874 OO RUEHBI RUEHLMC DE RUEHLM #1023 2041324 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 231324Z JUL 07 FM AMEMBASSY COLOMBO TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6487 INFO RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA PRIORITY 0298 RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD PRIORITY 7282 RUEHKT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU PRIORITY 5391 RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 3923 RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI PRIORITY 1214 RUEHNY/AMEMBASSY OSLO PRIORITY 3992 RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA PRIORITY 1178 RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY 3078 RUEHCG/AMCONSUL CHENNAI PRIORITY 7874 RUEHBI/AMCONSUL MUMBAI PRIORITY 5528 RUEHON/AMCONSUL TORONTO PRIORITY 0328 RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY RUEHLMC/MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORPORATION PRIORITY RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC PRIORITY RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 2220 RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI PRIORITY RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L COLOMBO 001023
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/INS AND PM
MCC FOR D NASSIRY AND E BURKE
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/23/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER PHUM MOPS CE
SUBJECT: SRI LANKA: POLICE FORCES KILL TAMIL TIGER LEADER
IN AMPARA; DEFUSE BOMB
REF: COLOMBO 1003
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires James R. Moore, for reasons 1.4(b,d).
C O N F I D E N T I A L COLOMBO 001023
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/INS AND PM
MCC FOR D NASSIRY AND E BURKE
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/23/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER PHUM MOPS CE
SUBJECT: SRI LANKA: POLICE FORCES KILL TAMIL TIGER LEADER
IN AMPARA; DEFUSE BOMB
REF: COLOMBO 1003
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires James R. Moore, for reasons 1.4(b,d).
1. (SBU) Elite Sri Lankan police officers known as Special
Task Forces (STF) killed six Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
(LTTE) cadres on Saturday, July 21, including the Ampara area
leader known as Ravindran, recovering a cache of weapons and
ammunition. The STF reported that its raid was in
retaliation for an LTTE attack on them in Ampara. Media
sources speculated, however, that the assassination of
Ravindran was in retaliation for the LTTE's assassination of
Chief Secretary of the Eastern Provincial Council H.M. Herath
Abeyweera on July 16 (ref A).
2. (SBU) On the western side of Sri Lanka in Mulikkulum
near Mannar, the LTTE claimed to have repelled a two-pronged
attack by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA),inflicting heavy
casualties on the military, while losing five Tiger cadres in
the battle. However, the SLA denied launching an offensive
in Mannar, instead insisting that it was a "quiet" weekend
with only brief mortar exchange for four hours on Sunday,
July 22, resulting in no SLA casualties.
3. (SBU) In Colombo, police forces found and defused an
eight-kilogram claymore mine in a vegetable market only
minutes before it was set to detonate. This was the the
third time in a month that police forces have been able to
find a bomb shortly before it exploded. The mine was
discovered after an anonymous tip and was located less than
three kilometers from a rally held by President Rajapaksa.
As a result of the President's presence at the rally, the
area was heavily guarded by SLA and STF troops who were able
quickly to deploy an STF bomb specialist. In response to
questions concerning who was responsible for the mine,
military spokesman Prasad Samarasinghe said, "Obviously, it
was the LTTE. They are getting desperate and want to kill as
many people as possible." The LTTE has not commented on the
matter.
4. (C) Some commentators expressed skepticism about the
STF's uncanny ability to find and defuse mines just before
detonation based on anonymous tips. They also point out that
this would represent a major departure from the Tigers'
policy in recent months to avoid attacks against purely
civilian targets of limited economic significance.
MOORE
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/INS AND PM
MCC FOR D NASSIRY AND E BURKE
E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/23/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER PHUM MOPS CE
SUBJECT: SRI LANKA: POLICE FORCES KILL TAMIL TIGER LEADER
IN AMPARA; DEFUSE BOMB
REF: COLOMBO 1003
Classified By: Charge d'Affaires James R. Moore, for reasons 1.4(b,d).
1. (SBU) Elite Sri Lankan police officers known as Special
Task Forces (STF) killed six Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
(LTTE) cadres on Saturday, July 21, including the Ampara area
leader known as Ravindran, recovering a cache of weapons and
ammunition. The STF reported that its raid was in
retaliation for an LTTE attack on them in Ampara. Media
sources speculated, however, that the assassination of
Ravindran was in retaliation for the LTTE's assassination of
Chief Secretary of the Eastern Provincial Council H.M. Herath
Abeyweera on July 16 (ref A).
2. (SBU) On the western side of Sri Lanka in Mulikkulum
near Mannar, the LTTE claimed to have repelled a two-pronged
attack by the Sri Lanka Army (SLA),inflicting heavy
casualties on the military, while losing five Tiger cadres in
the battle. However, the SLA denied launching an offensive
in Mannar, instead insisting that it was a "quiet" weekend
with only brief mortar exchange for four hours on Sunday,
July 22, resulting in no SLA casualties.
3. (SBU) In Colombo, police forces found and defused an
eight-kilogram claymore mine in a vegetable market only
minutes before it was set to detonate. This was the the
third time in a month that police forces have been able to
find a bomb shortly before it exploded. The mine was
discovered after an anonymous tip and was located less than
three kilometers from a rally held by President Rajapaksa.
As a result of the President's presence at the rally, the
area was heavily guarded by SLA and STF troops who were able
quickly to deploy an STF bomb specialist. In response to
questions concerning who was responsible for the mine,
military spokesman Prasad Samarasinghe said, "Obviously, it
was the LTTE. They are getting desperate and want to kill as
many people as possible." The LTTE has not commented on the
matter.
4. (C) Some commentators expressed skepticism about the
STF's uncanny ability to find and defuse mines just before
detonation based on anonymous tips. They also point out that
this would represent a major departure from the Tigers'
policy in recent months to avoid attacks against purely
civilian targets of limited economic significance.
MOORE