SRI LANKA: KARUNA FACTION FRACTURES; EPDP

S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 000709 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/INS MCC FOR S GROFF, D TETER, D NASSIRY AND E BURKE E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/16/2017 TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER PHUM MOPS CE SUBJECT: SRI LANKA: KARUNA FACTION FRACTURES; EPDP THREATENS JAFFNA STUDENTS Classified By: Ambassador Robert O. Blake, Jr., for reasons 1.4(b,d). ¶1. (S) SUMMARY: The Karuna faction is experiencing a split between its political wing and its military wing. Some observers speculate this will result in Karuna leaving Sri Lanka again. Some Karuna members have requested asylum, fearing retribution from the breakaway faction led by Karuna's erstwhile military coommander, Pillayan. Another anti-LTTE Tamil paramilitary organization, Minister Douglas Devananda's Eelam People's Democracy Party (EPDP),has requested the names of Jaffna residents who spoke critically about his group during the visit of Assistant Secretary Boucher. The Embassy declined the request. The EPDP also seems to be the source of renewed death threats against University of Jaffna students, whom it considers Tamil Tiger supporters. END SUMMARY. KARUNA FACTION FRACTURES -------------- ¶2. (C) Since his return to Sri Lanka sometime in 2006, Karuna has sought to begin transforming his LTTE-breakaway paramilitary group into a political force, the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP),which uses strong-arm tactics to dominate large sections of the East. Media outlets reported on May 5 that Karuna and his "right hand man" Pillayan became embroiled in a bitter dispute over the group's finances. In the resulting split, Pillayan and most of the group's top military leaders reportedly left the TMVP. ¶3. (S) On May 11, political FSN received a call from TMVP Secretary General Mr. Makesh and Political Secretary Ms. SIPDIS Pathmini who said they feared that Pillayan was plotting to kill them. They requested an immediate meeting to discuss the possibility of "asylum" in the U.S. By the time the Embassy got back to them to offer a low-level meeting to hear their request, the two TMVP operatives seemed to have gone underground. Their mobile phone numbers are now deactivated, and there is also no response at their office. ¶4. (C) Karuna has kept a low profile during the dispute, refraining from giving interviews. Pillayan has taken the opposite approach, with new quotes from him appearing in newspapers every day. Some media sources are reporting that Karuna and Pillayan have resolved their differences. However, Embassy interlocutors in Karuna's stronghold of Batticaloa tell us the feud is ongoing. EPDP HUNTS FOR "TRAITORS" -------------- ¶5. (S) Minister Douglas Devananda's paramilitary group, Eelam People's Democracy Party (EPDP),continues to flex its muscles in Jaffna. On May 14, EPDP legal advisor Maheshwary Velayutham called us, irate over criticisms of EPDP that surfaced during Assistant Secretary Boucher's May 8-10 visit. She demanded to know the names of Jaffna residents who had spoken critically about the EPDP during A/S Boucher's visit. We, of course, declined to provide this information. ¶6. (S) On Saturday May 12, one of the primary participants in A/S Boucher's visit to Jaffna, Catholic father J.J. Bernard, faxed a notice to the Embassy that he believed to be the work of EPDP. The notice, which threatens students who support the LTTE with "capital punishment," was posted inside Jaffna University during curfew hours. Several students are named individually. Jaffna University students have gone on strike until May 18 to protest the lack of security provided by the military. COLOMBO 00000709 002 OF 002 ¶7. (S) COMMENT: In a surreal interview with the Sunday Observer published May 13, Foreign Minister Bogollagama maintained that there are no paramilitary groups in Sri Lanka. It is telling that the EPDP, rather than taking on board Assistant Secretary Boucher's message, sought help to identify those who may have disparaged Devananda during A/S Boucher's trip to Jaffna. Similarly, the Karuna group has so far seemed to care little for U.S. remonstrances, but now, as it fights for its survival, certain key members have expressed an interest in U.S. protection. The positive news in both these developments is that both groups clearly believe they are now under pressure. BLAKE