SRI LANKA: CONDITIONS DETERIORATING IN JAFFNA;

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 COLOMBO 001036

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/INS AND PM
MCC FOR D NASSIRY AND E BURKE

E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/02/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER PHUM MOPS CE
SUBJECT: SRI LANKA: CONDITIONS DETERIORATING IN JAFFNA;
EMBASSY INTERLOCUTORS LEAVING

REF: COLOMBO 463

Classified By: Acting Deputy Chief of Mission, Michael DeTar, for reaso
ns 1.4(b,d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: Conditions in the military-controlled
portion of the Jaffna peninsula are deteriorating, with eight
extra-judicial killings in just three days and 21 dead in the
past two weeks. Among the dead is a Tamil employee of the
Danish Refugee Council, who was shot twice in the face at
point-blank range while stopped on his motorcycle in front of
the ICRC office. Embassy sources allege that military
intelligence officers are working with paramilitaries to
cleanse Jaffna of suspected LTTE sympathizers. Additionally,
the military and other pro-GSL entities are putting pressure
on Embassy interlocutors, including many who met with
Assistant Secretary Boucher during his trip to Jaffna in May,

2007. Of those, Father J.J. Bernard is being transferred to
the Philippines; University of Jaffna Law Lecturer S.
Sutharshan moved to Colombo when his name was posted on a
death notice; Government Agent Ganesh plans to retire from
government service when his term expires in September; and
human rights lawyer M. Remadious has moved his family to
Colombo and will join them as soon as he can find employment
here. These interlocutors have suggested that we be wary of
their replacements. END SUMMARY.

EXTRA-JUDICIAL KILLINGS SURGE IN JAFFNA
--------------


2. (C) After an period of relative quiet in the
military-controlled portion of the Jaffna peninsula, July has
seen a spike in the number of extra-judicial killings. The
AmCit Director of the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) Jaffna
branch, Joann Ellen Kingsley (strictly protect),told us on
July 24 that there have been eight extra-judicial killings
from Saturday, July 21 to Monday, July 23, with 21 killed in
a two-week period. Kingsley stated that the coroner's office
at the Jaffna Teaching Hospital is unable to conduct
autopsies quickly enough. As a result, grieving families are
required to wait to receive a post-mortem report before
disposing of their loved one's remains.


3. (C) One of those killed on July 23 was 26 year-old
Mariyanayagam Aloysius, a Tamil employee of the DRC. He was
shot twice on the right side of his face by an unknown gunman
with a 9mm handgun at point-blank range while stopped on his
motorcycle in front of the ICRC office. When Kingsley
arrived at the scene, Aloysius was still lying face-down in
the street, although police had dragged his body out of the
roadway. Sinhala media reports have speculated that Aloysius
had ties to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) -- a
claim that Kingsley vigorously denies, noting that he
recently received a re-certification of his security
clearance from the Ministry of Defense. He is survived by
his wife, who is seven months pregnant.

EPDP'S COORDINATION WITH MILITARY INTELLIGENCE
-------------- -


4. (C) Numerous Embassy interlocutors have told us that
extra-judicial killings in Jaffna are being conducted by the
pro-GSL paramilitary group Eelam People's Democratic Party
(EPDP) and by the security forces themselves. One source, a
high-ranking Anglican cleric, told us that he has personally
witnessed assassinations. He said police officers make a
perfunctory investigation, taking measurements and drawing
sketches, with the understanding that no arrest will ever be
made. Kingsley told us on July 24 that police officers

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candidly admitted to her that no investigation of Aloysius'
murder would be made because there were no eye-witnesses.
The police did not bring a camera to the scene of the crime
and asked Kingsley to give them the pictures of Aloysius body
that she took with her mobile phone.


5. (C) Several sources have told us that EPDP works closely
with military intelligence to target suspected LTTE
sympathizers. Member of Parliament Mano Ganesan (strictly
protect) told Poloff on July 21 that during the Cease-fire
Agreement, Western donors and the UNP government encouraged
moderate Tamils to work to "transform" the LTTE into a
legitimate political party, analogous to the transformation
the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) underwent after its
insurrection was crushed in 1989. According to Ganesan, EPDP
is now using old video footage of Jaffna citizens in
Tiger-controlled territories to help military intelligence
officials identify those who may be loyal to the LTTE.


6. (C) On July 4, Dr. Sinniah Sivaruban (strictly protect)
from the Jaffna Teaching Hospital told Poloff that his friend
and third-year medical student, Kunaratnam Suganthapan,
attempted to recruit him to work for EPDP. According to
Sivaruban's account of Suganthapan's recruitment pitch, EPDP
uses Jaffna citizens to identify potential LTTE targets and
then reports that information to military intelligence. When
a decision is made to eliminate a suspected Tiger
sympathizer, EPDP conducts the abduction or assassination,
liaising with military intelligence to ensure that EPDP is
not disturbed in its activities. According to Sivaruban,
military intelligence provides a generous incentive program
to EPDP members for successfully targeting suspected LTTE
cadres.

EMBASSY INTERLOCUTORS LEAVING JAFFNA
--------------


7. (C) Embassy interlocutors in Jaffna are finding it
increasingly difficult to document human rights abuses.
Several Embassy contacts have either been transferred out of
Jaffna or are voluntarily leaving because of pressure from
military and paramilitary groups. Of those who have either
left or are leaving, many are long-time Embassy contacts who
met Ambassador and Assistant Secretary Boucher during their
visit to Jaffna in May, 2007.

-- Additional District Judge and Magistrate Srinithi
Nanthasekeran was transferred to Colombo in the mid-February,

2007. She was stripped of her responsibilities as a
magistrate and was relegated to the lower position of
additional district judge in juvenile court. She remains an
ardent human right advocate.

-- Father J.J. Bernard served as Director of the Center for
Policy and Peace Initiatives before being transferred to
Colombo on July 5. He was opposed to his transfer and has
lodged a formal complaint with his superiors who have since
decided that his next permanent assignment will be in the
Philippines. Father Bernard met with Assistant Secretary
Boucher and is a primary source of the list of abductees that
Ambassador presented to Presidential Chief of Staff Lalith
Weeratunga on March 20 (ref A).

-- Mr. S. Sutharshan served as Senior Law Lecturer for Jaffna
University and was one of the guests at the civil society
lunch hosted by Assistant Secretary Boucher. In June,
suspected EPDP cadres wearing black scarves over their faces
posted a notice during school hours in Jaffna University
listing several "traitors" to be executed for supporting the

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LTTE. Sutharshan was among those targeted for death by the
notice. As a result, he resigned his position and has moved
to Colombo with his family.

-- Mr. M. Remadious is a human rights lawyer and legal
consultant to the Jaffna Human Rights Commission (HRC).
Along with Father Bernard, Mr. Remadious has provided
hundreds of names of potential abductees along with volumes
of supporting documentation. Currently, he is the only
Embassy contact still providing detailed information about
human rights conditions in Jaffna. On June 26, Mr. Remadious
was among several human rights activists who received
threatening phone calls allegedly as a result of helping four
families file missing persons claims with the HRC and Jaffna
Commander Major General Chandrasiri's office. After Father
Bernard was transferred to Colombo on July 5, Remadious moved
his family to Colombo as well. He will join them as soon as
he is able to secure employment, but plans to leave Jaffna no
later than September 1. Remadious met with Ambassador and
Assistant Secretary Boucher jointly with Father Bernard.

-- Government Agent M. Ganesh has served as the local
governmental civil authority in Jaffna since September, 2004.
After his briefing to Assistant Secretary Boucher, General
Chandrasiri summoned him to his office, demanding to see a
copy of Ganesh's PowerPoint presentation and a list of the
people that Boucher met with in Jaffna. Ganesh was also
sanctioned for allowing Boucher to use his SUV during his
time in Jaffna. Ganesh said that he received numerous
anonymous death threats after Chandrasiri's interview and
several calls from Colombo demanding that he account for his
behavior. On July 24, he told Poloff that he will not seek a
second term as Government Agent and will retire in Colombo on
September 1.

HRC REPLACEMENT A CAUSE FOR CONCERN
--------------


8. (C) Father Bernard and Mr. Remadious have independently
told us that the GSL is placing EPDP-friendly people in the
Jaffna branch of the HRC. Particularly, both men expressed
concern about Mr. Sambanthar Sivarajasingham, who was serving
as Inquiry Officer beginning in May before assuming
responsibilities as HRC Office Coordinator on July 20.
Remadious and Bernard expressed concern that if people fear
reprisal for reporting claims to the HRC, there will be no
other organization capable of fully documenting abductions
and extra-judicial killings in Jaffna.


9. (C) COMMENT: The near-clean sweep of our human rights
contacts in Jaffna will make it increasingly difficult for
this Embassy to monitor the situation there. After GA Ganesh
and Mr. Remadious leave in September, all of the Embassy's
most important and reliable sources of information will have
been eliminated. However, the GSL effort to remove those
responsible for advising us on human rights conditions will
have the counterproductive result of leaving only pro-LTTE
sources of information, such as TamilNet.
MOORE