Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07COLOMBO463
2007-03-21 03:39:00
CONFIDENTIAL
Embassy Colombo
Cable title:
AMBASSADOR PRESENTS LIST OF ALLEGED ABDUCTIONS TO
how-toVZCZCXRO0790 PP RUEHBI DE RUEHLM #0463 0800339 ZNY CCCCC ZZH P 210339Z MAR 07 FM AMEMBASSY COLOMBO TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 5717 INFO RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN 0290 RUEHHE/AMEMBASSY HELSINKI 0202 RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 6956 RUEHKT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU 5034 RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 3617 RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 0776 RUEHNY/AMEMBASSY OSLO 3703 RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA 1020 RUEHTC/AMEMBASSY THE HAGUE 0333 RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 2783 RUEHCG/AMCONSUL CHENNAI 7531 RUEHBI/AMCONSUL MUMBAI 5233 RUEHON/AMCONSUL TORONTO 0145 RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 1915 RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0561 RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI
C O N F I D E N T I A L COLOMBO 000463
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/INS, USPACOM FOR FPA
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/20/2017
TAGS: PREL PHUM CE
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR PRESENTS LIST OF ALLEGED ABDUCTIONS TO
PRESIDENTIAL ADVISOR
REF: COLOMBO 413
Classified By: Ambassador Robert O. Blake, Jr. for reasons
1.4 (b) and (d).
C O N F I D E N T I A L COLOMBO 000463
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/INS, USPACOM FOR FPA
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/20/2017
TAGS: PREL PHUM CE
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR PRESENTS LIST OF ALLEGED ABDUCTIONS TO
PRESIDENTIAL ADVISOR
REF: COLOMBO 413
Classified By: Ambassador Robert O. Blake, Jr. for reasons
1.4 (b) and (d).
1. (C) Ambassador met with Presidential Secretary (National
Security Advisor equivalent) Lalith Weeratunga on March 20 to
present a list of 350 Sri Lankans who are alleged by Sri
Lankan NGOs to have been abducted in Colombo and Jaffna
between January 2006 and February 2007. Ambassador explained
that the list is a follow-up to the suggestion agreed to by
the President during SCA PDAS Mann's visit (reftel). The
Ambassador urged that the GSL go through the names and
endeavor to determine the status of each of the cases.
Perhaps some might be in custody, for example. That
knowledge alone would be a great comfort to the families.
The Ambassador also urged the GSL to make public any findings
from its inquiry to show it is committed to addressing human
rights problems.
2. (C) The following information is for Washington info and
was not shared with the GSL to protect the sources. The list
of abductees was compiled using sources (strictly protect)
within the Civil Monitoring Commission (CMC) in Colombo and
the Jaffna branch of the Human Rights Commission (JHRC). In
order to verify the accuracy of the information provided, the
CMC and the JHRC have, and are willing to provide to Embassy
on a case-by-case basis, copies of various combinations of
the abductees' national identity cards, birth certificates,
marriage certificates (where applicable) and missing persons
complaints filed with the police stations, the HRC and the
Inspector-General of Police in Colombo, as well as complaints
filed with the Security Force Commander in Jaffna. Further,
on March 16, the opposition UNP held a press conference in
which they released the names of 77 abductees. Seventy-four
of the 77 names on the UNP list matched those gathered by
Embassy. The additional 3 UNP names were added to the
Embassy list prior to delivery.
3. (C) Weeratunga thanked the Ambassador for the list and
promised to convey it to the relevant authorities. He said
he had repeatedly urged the security forces to follow as much
due process as possible in arresting persons suspected of
working with the LTTE.
BLAKE
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
STATE FOR SCA/INS, USPACOM FOR FPA
E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/20/2017
TAGS: PREL PHUM CE
SUBJECT: AMBASSADOR PRESENTS LIST OF ALLEGED ABDUCTIONS TO
PRESIDENTIAL ADVISOR
REF: COLOMBO 413
Classified By: Ambassador Robert O. Blake, Jr. for reasons
1.4 (b) and (d).
1. (C) Ambassador met with Presidential Secretary (National
Security Advisor equivalent) Lalith Weeratunga on March 20 to
present a list of 350 Sri Lankans who are alleged by Sri
Lankan NGOs to have been abducted in Colombo and Jaffna
between January 2006 and February 2007. Ambassador explained
that the list is a follow-up to the suggestion agreed to by
the President during SCA PDAS Mann's visit (reftel). The
Ambassador urged that the GSL go through the names and
endeavor to determine the status of each of the cases.
Perhaps some might be in custody, for example. That
knowledge alone would be a great comfort to the families.
The Ambassador also urged the GSL to make public any findings
from its inquiry to show it is committed to addressing human
rights problems.
2. (C) The following information is for Washington info and
was not shared with the GSL to protect the sources. The list
of abductees was compiled using sources (strictly protect)
within the Civil Monitoring Commission (CMC) in Colombo and
the Jaffna branch of the Human Rights Commission (JHRC). In
order to verify the accuracy of the information provided, the
CMC and the JHRC have, and are willing to provide to Embassy
on a case-by-case basis, copies of various combinations of
the abductees' national identity cards, birth certificates,
marriage certificates (where applicable) and missing persons
complaints filed with the police stations, the HRC and the
Inspector-General of Police in Colombo, as well as complaints
filed with the Security Force Commander in Jaffna. Further,
on March 16, the opposition UNP held a press conference in
which they released the names of 77 abductees. Seventy-four
of the 77 names on the UNP list matched those gathered by
Embassy. The additional 3 UNP names were added to the
Embassy list prior to delivery.
3. (C) Weeratunga thanked the Ambassador for the list and
promised to convey it to the relevant authorities. He said
he had repeatedly urged the security forces to follow as much
due process as possible in arresting persons suspected of
working with the LTTE.
BLAKE