SRI LANKA: LTTE ACTIVITY IN COLOMBO, JAFFNA, AND

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 000753 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/INS MCC FOR D NASSIRY AND E BURKE E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/24/2017 TAGS: PTER MOPS PGOV PREL CE SUBJECT: SRI LANKA: LTTE ACTIVITY IN COLOMBO, JAFFNA, AND ALONG THE A-9 Classified By: Ambassador Robert O. Blake, Jr., for reasons 1.4(b,d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: On May 22 and 23, rounds from LTTE weapons fire fell in the vicinity of the ICRC compound at the crossing point at Omanthai on the A-9 highway and came close to hitting an ICRC vehicle with an expatriate ICRC worker inside. The checkpoint along the A-9 road to Jaffna was then closed after the withdrawal of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) from its position in the "no-man's land" between the Sri Lankan military and LTTE roadblocks. ICRC says it has not abandoned its work at the checkpoint, but needs to reevaluate the security situation. In a separate incident, 18 Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) fighter boats attacked a Navy detachment at Delft Island near Jaffna around 1:30 a.m. on May 24. The apparent target was a radar installation at the Navy site. Navy sailors retaliated, sinking at least two of the LTTE boats. On May 24, just before 9:00 a.m., an explosion occurred near the Colombo Port Facility. This apparent IED attack, targeting a military bus, injured 4 security personnel and 2 civilians. These unrelated incidents show the LTTE is still active and planning attacks. End Summary. ICRC Reconsiders Presence at Omanthai Checkpoint -------------- -------------- ¶2. (C) The Omanthai checkpoint on the A-9 highway to Jaffna was closed on May 23 after the withdrawal of the ICRC from its position in the "no-man's land" between the Sri Lankan military and LTTE roadblocks. On May 22, rounds from LTTE fire fell in the vicinity of the ICRC compound and came close to hitting an ICRC vehicle with an expatriate delegate inside. On May 23, the LTTE fired at a civilian van trying to proceed from government-controlled territory to the LTTE side. The roadblock had just been re-opened on May 21 following written security guarantees from both sides, according the ICRC. ICRC says they have not abandoned their work at the checkpoint, but need to reevaluate the security situation. ICRC is also considering reducing the footprint of their observers, including the number of staff on the ground and the number of days they work each week. ICRC Sri Lanka head Toon Vandenhove planned to travel on May 24 to meet with the ICRC team in Vavuniya and with local military commanders. He also planned to discuss ways to improve security at the checkpoint with the Ministry of Defense. LTTE Naval Attack Off the Jaffna Coast -------------- ¶3. (C) According to Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) spokesman D.K.P. Dassanayake, 18 LTTE fighter boats attacked a Navy detachment at Delft Island near Jaffna around 1:30 this morning. Navy sailors retaliated, sinking at least two of the LTTE boats. The spokesman added that LTTE cadres had infiltrated the Navy detachment in Delft and heavy ground fighting had been reported. So far, the Navy has reported 4 SLN deaths and 8 injuries, with 18 LTTE deaths, including 4 LTTE leaders. Both a pro-government paramilitary organization in Jaffna (the EPDP) and pro-LTTE Tamil news sources said there were more than 30 SLN casualties, however. The Navy says none of its naval craft were destroyed or damaged in the attack, although one apparently ran aground in shallow water. The Government has placed a curfew in Delft and boat service to Jaffna has been suspended. There is currently no phone service to the island. According to the Navy, the LTTE "Sea Tiger" attack was aimed at disrupting naval surveillance that has been helping to block LTTE piracy and smuggling of weapons. Other Embassy sources reported that in fact the LTTE may have succeeded in its objective of destroying or disabling a maritime radar installation at the Navy base. Explosion Near Colombo Port COLOMBO 00000753 002 OF 002 -------------- ¶4. (C) On May 24, just before 9:00 a.m., an explosion occurred near, but outside the grounds of the Colombo Port Facility. Special Task Force bomb disposal personnel speculate that the blast was caused by a command-detonated improvised explosive device (IED) placed on the sidewalk. Security forces have confirmed that the attack was not a suicide bomb, as was reported earlier. The explosion occurred outside the perimeter wall, coincidentally about 200 feet from the office of the U.S. Container Security Initiative nearby in the port. The Defense Ministry spokesman, Brigadier Prasad Samarasinghe, confirmed that the explosion had targeted a military bus and had injured 4 security personnel and 2 civilians. One soldier has reportedly succumbed to his injuries. ¶5. (C) COMMENT: These unrelated incidents show the LTTE is still capable of planning and carrying out offensive attacks, despite GSL claims to have disrupted LTTE networks in Colombo. The Colombo blast comes after several months of relative quiet in the capital. The ICRC withdrawal will make it harder for humanitarian groups and peace process observers to cross the "border" between government- and LTTE-held territory in the north. It is not clear when the security situation will permit reopening of the only crossing point on the A-9 highway. BLAKE