Northern Sri Lanka SitRep 42

UNCLAS COLOMBO 000357

SENSITIVE

STATE FOR SCA (BOUCHER, CAMP),SCA/INS AND PRM
STATE ALSO PASS USAID
AID/W FOR ANE/SCA, DCHA/FFP (DWORKEN, KSHEIN)
AID/W FOR DCHA/OFDA (MORRISP, ACONVERY, RTHAYER, RKERR)
ATHENS FOR PCARTER
BANGKOK FOR USAID/DCHA/OFDA (WBERGER)
KATHMANDU FOR USAID/DCHA/OFDA AND POL (SBERRY)
GENEVA FOR RMA (NKYLOH, NHILGERT, MPITOTTI)
USUN NEW YORK FOR ECOSOC (D MERCADO)
SECDEF FOR OSD - POLICY
PACOM ALSO FOR J-5

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PREF MOPS PHUM PGOV PREL ASEC CE
SUBJECT: Northern Sri Lanka SitRep 42

Ref: A) Colombo 351 B) Colombo 342 C) Colombo 329 D) Colombo 321
E) Colombo 320 F) Colombo 316 G) Colombo 310 H) Colombo 307 I)
Colombo 304 J) Colombo 299 K) Colombo 294


1. (SBU) SUMMARY: The Foreign Minister announced the GSL would
suspend attacks against the LTTE for a short period of time. He did
not indicate when the suspension would begin. 1000MT of food and
non-food items are set to be delivered to the safe zone on March 31.
Basil Rajapaksa outlined steps the GSL planned to take to address
overcrowding in IDP camps. Rajapaksa also pledged to turn over GSL
lists of camp inhabitants to the ICRC and UNHCR. The ICRC continues
to face delays securing visas for its staff. DCM turned over five
emergency kits with medicine and supplies for 50,000 persons to the
Minister of Health today (March 30). End Summary.

Foreign Minister: GSL will suspend attacks
--------------


2. (U) Media reports quoted Foreign Minister Bogollagama on March 30
declaring that the government had decided to "suspend attacks
against the LTTE for a short period of time to provide humanitarian
relief aid to civilians in the safe zone and to open several safe
passages for them to move into state-administered areas."
Bogollagama did not indicate when such a suspension would begin, but
we presume it is to pressure the LTTE to agree. On March 29 the
Sunday Times lead story quoted Defence Spokesman Keheliya
Rambukwella stating "we are ready for this 'humanitarian pause' as
suggested by the United Nations SECURITY Council... if it will pave
the way to rescue civilians used as human shields by the LTTE."

1000MT of Food To Go In March 31
--------------


3. (U) The Commissioner General of Essential Services confirmed
during the monthly Coordinating Committee for Humanitarian
Assistance (CCHA) meeting that the "Dublin" cargo ship would deliver
1000 MT of food, including vegetables, to the "safe zone" on March

31. UNHCR emergency kits containing clothing (4000 pieces),bed
sheets (2000),shelter material (2000 sheets, 2000 mats) as well as
hygiene kits (1000) will be included in the shipment. A full
readout of the CCHA meeting will be reported septel.

Basil Pledges Efforts
to Relieve Overcrowding
--------------


4. (SBU) At the CCHA meeting Ambassador highlighted the continuing
problem of overcrowding in the IDP camps and the need to resettle
IDPs quickly and urged the government to clear new land where
additional camps could be established. Senior Presidential Advisor
Basil Rajapaksa reported that local NGOs would shortly be building
additional shelters for up to 500 families in the IDP camps and
reported that GSL officials, local NGOs and the U.N. would be
meeting on the evening of March 30 to agree on a wider plan to
accommodate the possible influx of IDPs from the safe zone.
Rajapaksa also re-committed the government to resettling IDPs in
Mannar, specifically up to 5,500 IDPs from the Mussali area by the
end of April. (Note: It is unclear at this point whether demining
NGOs will grant a required low-risk certificate for the area to the

U.N. before the April deadline.) GSL officials reported that they
were exploring new locations to house IDPs in Mannar as well as
Trincomalee district, north of the former forward defense lines.

GSL Commits to Turnover IDP
Lists to ICRC and UNHCR
--------------


5. (SBU) Ambassador also raised the military's heavy presence in the
camps and continuing reports of disappearances affecting the IDP
population. Ambassador pointed out to Rajapaksa that the GSL had
authoritative lists of camp residents that they could turn over to
the ICRC and UNHCR to help verify the extent of the problem.
Rajapaksa agreed to share the list with the UN and ICRC to improve
transparency.

No Progress on ICRC Visas
--------------


6. (SBU) The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has not
received MFA clearance for 35 pending visas for STAFF to provide
short-term surge capacity as well as regular replacements.
Ambassador earlier raised the issue with the Foreign Minister (ref
H) on March 18. ICRC head Paul Castella reported that during a
discussion with Basil Rajapaksa on March 27 Rajapaksa insisted that
MFA has responsibility for issuing the visas. Ambassador again
raised the issue with the Foreign Minister on March 28 who promised
to look into the matter. Castella plans to meet Bogollagama early
this week.

U.S. Donates Primary Care Medicine
and Supplies for Treatment of IDPs
--------------


7. (U) Five emergency health kits containing medicine and supplies
that can provide primary treatment for 50,000 persons for three
months were turned over today to Minister of Health Nimal Siripala
de Silva by DCM. The medicine and supplies will be used by
hospitals in the North that have been strained by new IDP caseloads.
USAID's Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) provided
$77,000 for the kits (some of the contents are donated by NGOs),
transportation, and end use monitoring. The donation was
facilitated by U.S. NGO Medical Teams International (MTI). The
donation followed a request from the Minister of Health when the
Ambassador recently presented one emergency health kit that had been
funded by MTI.

504 Hardcore Cadres Sent to Rehabilitation
--------------


8. (SBU) The Sinhalese language newspaper Rivira reported that 504
"hardcore (LTTE) cadres" had been identified among the tens of
thousands of escapees from Tiger-held territory and "had been sent
for rehabilitation." Post is attempting to determine their
whereabouts and whether ICRC has been granted access to the
suspected cadres to ensure their humane treatment while in GSL
custody.

Nationalist Politician Attacks Norway

and U/SYG Holmes; Ambassador Responds
--------------


9. (U) Reports of U/SYG Holmes' contact with LTTE's diplomatic point
person Kumaran Padmanadan (KP) set off a firestorm in the
nationalist press. NATIONAL Freedom Front leader and President
Rajapaksa's political ally Wimal Weerawansa demanded that the
government sever ties with Norway over their purported role
facilitating the contact. To correct widespread misperceptions
about the nature of the UN-LTTE communication, Ambassador posted a
comment on a widely-read newspaper website: "Conversations such as
the telephone conversation between UN Humanitarian Chief Sir John
Holmes and KP referred to by Mr. Weerawansa were solely for the
purpose of persuading the LTTE to allow civilians to leave and
observe international humanitarian law. The conversations in no way
constitute an endorsement of the terrorist activities of the LTTE."

Gov't Claims Sea Tiger Casualties
--------------


10. (SBU) The Navy claimed that at least 25 Sea Tigers and a sailor
were killed and 3 more sailors injured in sea battle off Mullaitivu
on March 30. The news report also stated that 4 LTTE boats were
destroyed. (Note: the account from military sources appears
one-sided. So far, the TamilNet website has carried no news of the
encounter.)

Civilian Casualties and IDP Outflow
--------------


11. (SBU) Sources from within the LTTE-controlled area report 161
civilians were killed and 214 injured on March 27-29. These sources
report 350 arrivals into overnment-controlled territory on March

29. (Not: Such reports from Tamil sources cannot be confired and
are frequently exaggerated.)

BLAKE