Northern Sri Lanka SitRep 48

UNCLAS COLOMBO 000402 SENSITIVE STATE FOR SCA (BOUCHER),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 48 Ref: A) Colombo 401 B) Colombo 400 C) Colombo 396 D) Colombo 393 E) Colombo 384 F) Colombo 374 G) Colombo 368 H) Colombo 361 I) Colombo 360 J) Colombo 357 K) Colombo 351 ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: According to the UN, 14,166 civilians have been killed or wounded in fighting between January 20 and April 6. The majority of those casualties have occurred in GSL-declared safe zones. The military announced the launch of an operation to free thousands of civilians. UNSR Kalin released a statement highlighting the extraordinary measures needed to meet the needs of existing and future IDPs. End Summary. 14,166 Civilians Killed and Wounded Since January 20 -------------- -------------- ¶2. (SBU) U.N. staff provided an update to their civilian casualty numbers to POL section on April 7. (Note: The U.N. does not intend to release this information so figures should not be publicly attributed to the U.N.) From January 20 to April 6 the U.N. reports that 4,164 civilians have been killed and 10,002 have been wounded. The average rate of killed was 33/day in January and 63/day in February and March. The average wounded rate per day was 184 in January, 145 in February and 115 in March. The U.N.'s sources still in Vanni include Regional Directors of Health Services, Catholic clergy, the Assistant Government Agent and 213 national staff of international NGOs. (These also should be protected.) Post considers the figures a credible minimum count of casualties in areas still under LTTE control. Of these totals 411 civilians under 18 have been killed and 1436 under 18 have been injured. Majority of Casualties in Safe Zones -------------- ¶3. (SBU) The U.N. disaggregates their data for casualties inside and outside the safe zone. The U.N. figures document 860 killed and 3,339 injured in the original safe zone north of the A35 highway. These figures include 23 children killed and 345 injured. Since the declaration of the second (and current) no fire zone along the northeast coast of Mullaitivu on February 12 the U.N. figures document 2,452 civilians killed and 4,941 wounded. U.N. sources still in the safe zone report daily shelling of the safe zone as well as occasional aerial bombardment. GSL Launches Military Operation to Free Civilians -------------- -------------- ¶4. (U) The military announced it was launching a "defensive tactical manoeuvre" in "the thin 17 sq km coastal land strip at Mullaitivu" to free thousands of trapped civilians today (April 7). Dubbing the move "the largest humanitarian intervention by a conventional military force in modern times," the announcement did not specify the exact location of the operation, specifically whether it was occurring inside or adjacent the safe zone. Defense Secretary Rajapaksa and Foreign Minister Bogollagama have assured Ambassador on separate occasions that the military would not forcibly enter the zone. DAO is seeking clarification from military sources on the location of the operation. Embassy will report further information septel when it is available. Kalin Issues Statement Following Visit -------------- ¶5. (SBU) Special Rapporteur for IDPs Walter Kalin visited Sri Lanka April 3-7 to keep up U.N. pressure on the GSL to improve humanitarian conditions for IDPs, in part to help pressure the LTTE to release civilians trapped in the safe zone. In a statement issues at the end of the visit, Kalin noted that extraordinary measures will be needed to meet the needs of the existing IDPs and those expected to come from the safe zone, but welcomed some incremental steps the GSL has taken and its willingness to work with timetables for screening of IDPs, enhancing freedom of movement from the camps, and facilitating return/resettlement. Full readout of the visit reported Ref A. LTTE Conscription of Children -------------- ¶6. (SBU) The Bishop of Mannar reported to Ambassador that a Catholic Priest had been sheltering up to 400 children in his church within the safe zone. The priest was attempting to protect the children, mostly teenagers, from forcible recruitment by the LTTE. When the Tigers found out about the teenagers hiding they broke into the church, apprehended them and forced them into service. Civilian Casualties and IDP Outflow -------------- ¶7. (SBU) Information was not available from Tamil sources from within the LTTE-controlled area on civilian casualties on April 6. The Defense Ministry reported 69 civilians had reached government territory on April 6. BLAKE