SRI LANKA: GOVERNMENT OFFENSIVE IN SOUTHERN MANNAR

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 001207 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/INS MCC FOR D NASSIRY AND E BURKE E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/04/2017 TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER PHUM MOPS CE SUBJECT: SRI LANKA: GOVERNMENT OFFENSIVE IN SOUTHERN MANNAR DISPLACES THOUSANDS Classified By: Ambassador Robert O Blake, for reasons 1.4(b,d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: The Sri Lankan Army (SLA) began a military offensive on August 27 to clear Silavaturai and neighboring villages in southwestern Mannar district of Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) cadres. About four thousand civilians are reportedly displaced by the fighting. UN interlocutors report that the ICRC and other humanitarian agencies have ample capacity in the area to handle the situation. On Monday, September 3, the ICRC turned over to the SLA 12 bodies of civilians, including six women and three children, killed in a claymore mine explosion inside Tiger-controlled territory. Both sides allege that the other is responsible for the attack. Some media outlets are laying the blame on the military, which allegedly attacked a van because it did not have a license plate. On September 3, the ICRC announced that it will close the Uylankulam checkpoint, one of two official points-of-entry into the Tiger-controlled Vanni, because it is no longer able to guarantee the safety of its employees working there. END SUMMARY. CUTTING OFF THE SUPPLY LINES -------------- ¶2. (C) The Sri Lanka Army is continuing an offensive it began on August 27 to take control of portions of the western coast just south of the Mannar peninsula. Although the area south of the Mannar-Vavuniya road is considered SLA territory, pockets of LTTE cadres have long held portions of the area. Embassy interlocutors speculate that the LTTE uses sea bases, including the base at Silavaturai captured on September 2, to smuggle supplies and weapons into the Vanni from southern India. The military reported that it captured three boats at the Silavaturai base. Operations in the area are continuing, with the SLA and LTTE trading mortar fire. The number of casualties on both sides is not known. The ICRC delivered the body of at least one slain SLA soldier to the military on September 1. THOUSAND OF IDPs FLEE FIGHTING -------------- ¶3. (C) The Daily Mirror reported that more than 4,000 people were displaced from Musoli, Arippu, Silavaturai, Saveriapuram and Kokkupadayan "as a result of the latest military advance in the North," with IDPs fleeing to SLA-controlled villages in Mannar such as Nanattan and Vankalai. Tamil newspaper Virakesari and the Consortium of Humanitarian Agencies (CHA) estimate that approximately 6,500 IDPs have been displaced as a result of the fighting. Embassy interlocutors in the area believe that the lower estimate is more accurate. The discrepancy may lie in different methods of counting IDPs, however. Some media sources appear to count only those relying on assistance from external sources like the ICRC, while CHA and Virakesari apparently also count those displaced but staying with relatives. According to Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) Sri Lanka representative Doug Mercado, the ICRC is managing the situation well, and has more than adequate resources. Mercado reported that some of the displaced are already starting to return home. The remaining IDPs are being housed in schools. TWELVE CIVILIANS KILLED IN CLAYMORE EXPLOSION -------------- ¶4. (SBU) On September 2, a claymore mine hit a van traveling from Silavaturai to Arippu carrying 12 civilians, including six women and three children, killing all twelve. Both the SLA and the Tigers denied responsibility and accused the other of the attack. Some media outlets and the Citizens' COLOMBO 00001207 002 OF 002 Committee of Mannar alleged that SLA Deep Penetration Units targeted the van when they saw that it did not have a license plate. The bodies of the 12 victims were delivered by the ICRC to the Army on September 3. ICRC CLOSES UYLANKULAM CHECKPOINT -------------- ¶5. (C) On September 4 the ICRC announced that it is closing the Uylankulam checkpoint (near Mannar),one of two official passage points into the LTTE-controlled Vanni. Fighting in the area has been intense. Embassy interlocutors told us that the ICRC decided to close the checkpoint when their employees came under fire. Publicly, ICRC spokesman Davide Vignati cited generic concerns for employees' safety, stating: "We can't provide security for our staff as the fighting is escalating." Closure of the Uylankulam checkpoint leaves the Omanthai checkpoint as the only crossing point to and from the Vanni. ¶6. (C) COMMENT: The SLA offensive in Silavaturai is taking place in what was nominally a government-controlled area, well south of the Vavuniya-Mannar highway. It does not appear to be part of the larger military offensive to capture the Vanni that Defense Secretary Gothabaya Rajapaksa threatened, but rather an effort to shut down LTTE supply lines. The military action is having a significant impact on civilian life in the area, but the affected population appears to be relatively small. While our current assessment is that the ICRC is handling the situation capably, continued escalation of hostilities could affect the ICRC's ability to respond to the IDPs' needs. Embassy will monitor the situation and report on any significant increase in military activity or the numbers displaced. BLAKE