EMBASSY COLOMBO EAC MEETING 09/22/2008

UNCLAS COLOMBO 000889 SIPDIS SENSITIVE DEPARTMENT FOR DS/IP/RD/SCA, DS/DSS/ITA, CA AND SA/INS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ASEC CASC PTER SUBJECT: EMBASSY COLOMBO EAC MEETING 09/22/2008 REF: CRONIN/PERKINS TELCON OF 9/20/2008 ¶1. (SBU) Summary: AmEmbassy Colombo convened an Emergency Action Committee (EAC) meeting on September 22, 2008. The EAC discussed post's security posture in light of the recent terrorist attack of the US Embassy in Sanaa, Yemen and the suicide bombing of the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad, Pakistan. The EAC discussed threat information and notifications of the expatriate American citizen (Amcit) community and the American private sector entities. The EAC concurred that these attacks did not require post to amend security procedures or issue new security advice to the expatriate Amcit community in Sri Lanka. End summary. ¶2. (SBU) On September 22, 2008, AmEmbassy Colombo convened a meeting of the core EAC. Present for the meeting were the Deputy Chief of Mission, Regional Security Officer, Political Officer, Consular Officer, Regional Affairs Officer, Defense Attach, Public Affairs Officer, Management Officer, and USAID Mission Director. The agenda items for the meeting were: -- Whether the two attacks described above presented a threat to, or changed the security environment for, the American official and expatriate communities in Sri Lanka -- Post's security profile and the need, if any, to upgrade security for Mission facilities or residences in light of the two attacks -- The need, if any, to amend post's security advice to the general American public and American expatriate community in Sri Lanka -- The instructions RSO received over the weekend to hold an Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC) Country Council meeting to discuss the events with American private sector entities ¶3. (SBU) The EAC concurred that the two attacks did not change post's security profile. The threat to American citizens and Mission employees remains the possibility of being in proximity to a Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) attack on a GSL political, military, law enforcement or economic target. No EAC members had any intelligence or information that indicated that LTTE is likely to change its tactics and directly target Western entities. No EAC members had any intelligence or information from their sources indicating that Al-Qaeda or similar transnational terrorist groups are operating in Sri Lanka. Moreover, the GSL's focus on stopping LTTE attacks by flooding the streets with massive numbers of security personnel and establishing road blocks throughout Colombo and the countryside would likely make escaping the attention of host government security forces difficult for Islamic extremist transnational terrorist groups. Consequently, the EAC felt that it was not necessary, at this time, to change or augment post's security measures or to amend Travel Warnings or Warden messages. ¶4. (SBU) Regarding DS's instructions to RSOs in the region to hold OSAC Country Council meetings on Sunday, September 21, the RSO commented that he had tried to contact OSAC members to hold the meeting as DS had directed. No OSAC members with whom RSO had made contact responded positively to meeting on Sunday. Therefore, the RSO had provided talking points to the OSAC members in the form of email attachments. RSO stated that he would gather the Country Council to meet as soon as possible this week. (RSO comment - the OSAC meeting is set for Tuesday, September 22 at 1600 hours local.) ¶5. (U) Post will continue to monitor the security environment and report further developments, if any, septel. POC for this message is RSO Michael V. Perkins, who may be contacted at 94.11.249.8885, 94.11.249.8888 (MSG Post 1 after regular business hours),or via the classified and unclassified email systems. BLAKE