SRI LANKA: TMVP LEADER ASSURES COOPERATION ON

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 000646 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/INS E.O. 12958: DECL: 07/07/2018 TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER PHUM MOPS CE SUBJECT: SRI LANKA: TMVP LEADER ASSURES COOPERATION ON CHILD SOLDIERS REF: COLOMBO 578 Classified By: Ambassador Robert O. Blake, Jr., for reasons 1.4(b,d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: In his first meeting with USG officials, new Eastern Province Chief Minister and TMVP head Pillaiyan pledged his cooperation to release the TMVP's remaining child soldiers. He was less forthcoming about the near-term disarmament of all TMVP cadres, arguing that the LTTE had re-infiltrated the East. Pillaiyan stressed the importance of full implementation of the 13th Amendment and argued that TMVP cadres should be trained to function as a legitimate police force. End Summary ¶2. (C) While waiting for the delayed arrival of President Rajapaksa for the official opening on July 1 of the new Arugam Bay Bridge, USAID's flagship tsunami reconstruction project in SRI Lanka, SCA Deputy Assistant Secretary Evan Feigenbaum and DCM met for 30 minutes with Eastern Province Chief Minister and TMVP leader Sivanesathurai Chadrakanthan, alias Pillaiyan. It was the first meeting of USG officials with Pillaiyan. The 33 year old TMVP leader is himself a former LTTE child soldier who advanced through the ranks of the Karuna organization after its split from the LTTE in ¶2004. Pillaiyan speaks no English; his Australian educated private secretary, also a one-time LTTE child soldier, provided Tamil-language interpretation. ¶3. (C) DAS Feigenbaum stressed three points on the child soldier issue: the remaining TMVP child soldiers must be released as quickly as possible, the Government of SRI LANKA (GSL) must conduct a public education campaign to communicate zero tolerance for the use of child soldiers, and a process must be put into place to sustain momentum and prevent the future recruitment of child soldiers. Feigenbaum also emphasized that in order to make the transition from a paramilitary organization to a political party, it is imperative that the TMVP not just release its child soldiers but also disarm its cadres. Feigenbaum explained the plan the GSL and UNICEF are currently developing for conducting joint verification in the coming weeks of the whereabouts of the 74 child soldiers that remain in UNICEF's database. He noted that the large majority of the 74 families have given authorization for the GSL to be involved in this process. ¶4. (C) Pillaiyan responded that he had already directed that all of the TMVP's child soldiers be released, but stopped short of claiming that all had, in fact, been released. Pillaiyan pledged his and the TMVP's full cooperation in working to obtain the release of any remaining child soldiers. He added, "There is no point in keeping the children. We have already come this far (as a political party). We have no need for child soldiers." He indicated that the TMVP would welcome visits by the GSL and UNICEF to their offices and camps to verify that child soldiers were not present. He proposed that a TMVP representative accompany the GSL and UNICEF verification teams on their visits to the families of child soldiers that are in UNICEF's database. (Note: We indicated this would be UNICEF's decision, but suggested it would probably not be consistent with UNICEF's operating procedures; indeed, in a separate meeting with DAS Feigenbaum, UNICEF representatives noted they would prefer to conduct unaccompanied "spot checks.") ¶5. (C) Pillaiyan was less forthcoming regarding the near-term disarmament of all TMVP cadres. He expressed reluctance to fully disarm, claiming that LTTE intelligence units are re-infiltrating the Eastern Province, particularly in Batticaloa Province to surveil prospective targets. Pillaiyan acknowledged that there had not been any direct fighting between LTTE and TMVP cadres since the government retook control of the East from the LTTE last year. He added, however, that the LTTE had killed several policemen in COLOMBO 00000646 002 OF 002 Batticaloa District, following the election in May. ¶6. (C) Turning to the reintegration of TMVP cadres, Feigenbaum asked Pillaiyan whether any had yet been incorporated into government security forces. Pillaiyan said that to the best of his knowledge no TMVP cadres have directly joined the police, but added that approximately 30 to 40 cadres who left the TMVP had subsequently joined the police force. He said he was not aware of any cadres joining the army, although the TMVP and the army earlier worked together to defeat the LTTE in the East in 2006-07. Pillaiyan said he would like the TMVP cadres to be trained to function as a legitimate police force. He said they should be trained outside the country, possibly in India. He felt overseas training would be important because the cadres "have never known any life other than fighting for the LTTE and the TMVP." He added they need to be exposed to a "democratic system and environment, and learn how police forces in other countries function." ¶7. (C) Pillaiyan said his main goal as Chief Minister is to provide the people of the East better infrastructure, such as village roads. He stressed that his priority is the poorest citizens of the East. He stressed that he wants to see the full implementation of the 13th Amendment, with maximum devolution of all powers covered under the amendment, but particularly police powers and land rights. ¶8. (C) COMMENT: In this constructive first meeting, Pillaiyan said the right things by making a commitment to release the TMVP's remaining child soldiers. Although he may not intellectually or personally, given his own background as a paramilitary cadre and former child combatant, understand or even agree with the need to stop using child soldiers, he is under instructions from Defense Secretary Gothabaya Rajapaksa and others in the GSL to comply in the interest of partially restoring U.S. military assistance to SRI Lanka, which is currently blocked by Congressional legislation. It remains to be seen, however, whether Pillaiyan exercises sufficient control over all factions of the TMVP to force them to comply with the government's directive to release and then abstain from recruiting child soldiers. End Comment ¶9. (U) DAS Feigenbaum has cleared this message. BLAKE