Northern Sri Lanka SitRep 67

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 000501 SENSITIVE SIPDIS 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 67 REF: A) Colombo 492 B) Colombo 484 C) Colombo 477 D) Colombo 470 E) Colombo 469 F) Colombo 464 G) Colombo 459 H) Colombo 456 I) Colombo 454 J) Colombo 448 K) Colombo 435 and previous ¶1. (SBU) SUMMARY: On May 5, President Mahinda Rajapaksa invited UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon to visit the country. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) expects the "Green Ocean" ferry to depart Trincomalee on the evening of May 6 and offload food in the conflict zone on May 7. UN Resident Representative Neil Buhne wrote to Minister of Disaster Management and Human Rights Mahinda Samarasinghe to defend the use of commercially-available satellite imagery to analyze humanitarian needs. END SUMMARY. PRESIDENT INVITES UN SYG -------------- ¶2. (U) In a phone conversation on the night of May 5, President Mahinda Rajapaksa invited UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon to visit Sri Lanka for the purpose of viewing the Government's response to civilian outflow from the conflict zone. Rajapaksa said he welcomed the opportunity for Ban to personally evaluate the accommodation and treatment of internally-displaced civilians who have entered Government-controlled territory in recent months. ICRC FERRY DEPARTING TONIGHT -------------- ¶3. (U) On May 5 Charge emphasized to President Rajapaksa and Special Presidential Advisor Basil Rajapaksa that ICRC boat runs to the safe zone must continue to evacuate sick and wounded civilians and to bring in critically needed food and medicine. On May 6, ICRC Acting Head of Delegation Tony Dalziel reported to Charge that security assurances had been received from the military and LTTE for the "Green Ocean" to offload food and load evacuees on May 7. The issue was discussed at a May 6 meeting of the National Security Council and assurances were conveyed to Dalziel by the Chief of Defense Staff. The "Green Ocean" was loaded on May 6 in Trincomalee with approximately 30 metric tons of food and is expected to depart at 1800 local and arrive the morning of May 7. It is not yet known if medicine has been loaded, which, if it happens, typically takes place at the last minute. Dalziel told Charge at 1700 that the landing point had subsequently been changed to a new location and that heavy fighting was occurring at that location. Charge has calls in to Basil Rajapaksa and Chief of Defense Staff Perera to urge that forces hold fire to permit the landing. Dalziel expects continued negotiations with military and LTTE commanders on the ground to produce accommodation of the landing tomorrow. He anticipates back-to-back landings of the "Green Ocean" on May 7, 8, and 9. Civilians evacuated by ICRC will be offloaded in Pulmoddai. UN DEFENDS USE OF SATELLITE IMAGERY -------------- ¶4. (U) UN Resident Representative Neil Buhne wrote to Minister of Disaster Management and Human Rights Mahinda Samarasinghe in defense of the UN's use of satellite imagery. This correspondence follows COLOMBO 00000501 002 OF 002 the unintended leak of the report on a UNOSAT website on April 28 and subsequent accusations from the Foreign Secretary that the UN is "spying" on a member state. Buhne's letter to Samarasinghe reportedly states that the UN shared both the imagery and UNOSAT analysis with Sri Lankan Government officials prior to the unintended leak of the report, including with the President's Chief of Staff in March and with the Foreign Minister in April. Buhne states that the images permitted the UN to estimate the number of trapped civilians. Buhne asserts that his office did not approve the report's public release. GSL TELLS AGENCIES TO EXPECT ARRIVALS -------------- ¶5. (SBU) The Government's Competent Authority, Major General G.A. Chandrasiri, has told relief organizations in Vavuniya to prepare for an additional 50,000 to 75,000 internally-displaced persons (IDPs) to arrive at the camps over the next four to five days. (Note: President Rajapaksa and other senior GSL officials told Charge and Co-Chair Ambassadors on May 5 that there are few or no IDPs still in transit between Puthukkudiyiruppu and Omanthai; therefore the Government is likely referring to expected outflow from the conflict zone. This would call into serious question the Government's own estimate of maximum 15,000 civilians still trapped.) The number of IDPs residing in Jaffna and Pulmoddai camps, who could potentially be transferred by the Government to Vavuniya sites, is approximately 16,000. Any large influx of IDPs to Vavuniya would strain the capacity of already overcrowded displacement camps. LTTE EARTH BERMS SLOW SLA ADVANCE; NO NEW CIVILIAN ESCAPES -------------- ¶6. (SBU) According to Sri Lankan Army sources, 53 and 58 Divisions advanced approximately 300 meters in the last 24 hours (May 5-6), with the front lines about 800-900 meters south of the A35 junction. The LTTE has reportedly ordered rationing of mortar and machine gun ammunition, but when the LTTE uses them, the fires are heavy and concentrated. Resistance is still tough. Army sources assess that the LTTE could hold out another two weeks at most. The Sri Lankan Army believes LTTE leadership including Prabhakaran is still in the civilian "safe zone", though there has been no positive confirmation of Prabhakaran's presence for some time. The Army believes that LTTE leaders Pottu Amman and Soosai are definitely in the cease-fire zone. ¶7. (SBU) Sri Lankan Navy sources say there has been a general lull in Sea Tiger activity. No civilians have escaped by sea in recent days. Sri Lankan Air Force source says civilians are still being used to build a second LTTE ditch-cum-bund complex. These sources say burning objects on the night of May 4-5 were shelters, which the LTTE set on fire to force civilians to move south. No civilians escaped by sea or land. MOORE