SRI LANKA: CAPTURE OF SELVARAJAH PATHMANATHAN, AKA

C O N F I D E N T I A L COLOMBO 000779 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/INSB E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/06/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL PREF PHUM PTER MOPS CE SUBJECT: SRI LANKA: CAPTURE OF SELVARAJAH PATHMANATHAN, AKA KP Classified By: CHARGE D'AFFAIRES JAMES R. MOORE. REASONS: 1.4 (B, D) ¶1. (C) Summary: Reports indicate that top LTTE official Selvarajah Pathmanathan, also known as KP, has been apprehended and is now in the custody of Sri Lankan security officials. Embassy sources were tight-lipped today, with no military intelligence officials willing to comment on the details of his apprehension and current whereabouts, although it appears that he is being held in or near Colombo. Media and government sources have given conflicting accounts of where he was apprehended, with some saying in Thailand and others saying in Malaysia. Thai officials reportedly have denied any involvement, and said he was not arrested there. Foreign Secretary Palitha Kohona told Charge that he had no details on the arrest other than that he was now likely in Colombo. Kohona added, "KP's arrest should close the chapter on the LTTE." Late this afternoon, military spokesman Brigadier General Nanayakkara held a press conference about the arrest and then spoke with Charge. He confirmed that KP was being held in Colombo and undergoing interrogation. He said legal action would be taken against KP, but formal charges had not yet been filed. Nanayakkara confirmed that KP was apprehended on August 5th, but would not say whether it was in Malaysia or Thailand. He said KP holds a Sri Lankan passport among others. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) One version of the arrest story claimed KP was apprehended in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. A news report by journalist D.B.S. Jeyaraj claimed two UK citizens had been meeting with KP at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur when he received a call on his cell phone. He excused himself, left the room and did not return. This report goes on to say that once he was picked up in Malaysia, he was then brought to Bangkok due to the lack of an extradition treaty between Malaysia and Sri Lanka. Unverified reports suggested that the Government of Sri Lanka was tipped off about KP's location by other LTTE members unhappy with the non-violent approach that he had been advocating the LTTE now adopt. ¶3. (C) Comment: As previewed by Foreign Secretary Kohona's comment, this will likely be cast as a major success by the government. KP was seen as the last top LTTE leader still at-large since the end of the war, and the government will likely feel they have tied up the last loose end with this capture. KP had a much higher level of international notoriety than the few other remaining LTTE leaders, and had worked to cast himself as the successor to Prabhakaran upon his death in May. He was allegedly in control of a significant portion of the LTTE's fundraising network, and its arms procurement abilities during the war. In his public statements since then, KP had argued that now was the time to transform the LTTE into a political organization that fights for Tamil rights through peaceful means. Although it is too early to tell the impact of this capture on remaining LTTE organization, it has to be considered a major blow to efforts to re-establish the LTTE as any sort of cohesive force, political or otherwise. End Comment. MOORE