SRI LANKA: FORMER FOREIGN MINISTER RECEIVES

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 COLOMBO 000082 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/INS E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/23/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER PHUM MOPS CE SUBJECT: SRI LANKA: FORMER FOREIGN MINISTER RECEIVES THREATS, WILL SEEK TEMPORARY HAVEN ABROAD Classified By: AMBASSADOR ROBERT O. BLAKE, JR. REASONS: 1.4(b,d). ¶1. (C) SUMMARY: Former Foreign Minister Mangala Samawaweera told Ambassador on January 23 that he felt his life was in danger and was planning to seek temporary safe haven abroad. He strongly implied that Defense Secretary Gothabaya Rajapaksa was behind the threats to his life, but admitted he does not have concrete evidence. Recalling his break with the President and his powerful brothers over human rights and dismissal from the government in early 2007, Samaraweera said he believed the extremists in the Presidents entourage such as JHU Minister of Environment Ranawaka were intent on installing a Sinhalese supremacist, authoritarian regime. He said the President's entourage was systematically silencing dissent and predicted further attacks on the media and opposition politicians. He reported that the President had scolded a pastor for allowing opposition figures to speak at the funeral of slain editor Lasantha Wickrematunge. He also noted that his attorney, who was appearing in an important constitutional case, had also received threats. Samaraweera told us the reports he would seek to give a dossier detailing the government's crimes to Secretary Clinton were a ruse he concocted to protect himself by raising his profile. He said he planned to visit New York in early March and requested assistance in obtaining a senior-level meeting at the Department. End summary. DEATH THREATS TO FORMER MINISTER -------------- ¶2. (C) Former Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera told Ambassador and Pol Chief on January 23 that he had started receiving abusive calls in November 2008. He had then raised this as a "privilege" issue in Parliament, and the Speaker had referred the matter to the Inspector General of Police. Eventually, the IGP had grudgingly provided two more policemen as security officers - but no vehicle for them. Samaraweera said he had demanded to know whether the officers were supposed to run behind his car. The IGP responded that the Defense Secretary had to approve all requests for additional security and vehicles for VIP protection. Samaraweera told us he declined to appeal directly to the Defense Secretary "because I know that he's behind everything that is going on, and I will not beg for my security." Samaraweera said that when the calls started coming, a number of former colleagues still in the cabinet began warning him to be very careful. Even the Prime Minister had passed word to him through an intermediary that his life was in danger, he said. Other Ministers were so frightened that they arranged to call him from the homes of friends outside Colombo. ¶3. (C) Samaraweera noted that a group of the president's close confidants - National Freedom Front leader Wimal Weerawansa, JHU party head and current Environment Minister Champika Ranawaka and Transport Minister Dullas Allahapperuma had begun labeling him an LTTE supporter, and accusing him of trying to sabotage the war effort. However, Samaraweera only became worried when the President himself began telling reporters that Samaraweera had personal enemies. "Who would bother to kill him (Samaraweera) - except for people in his personal life?" He recalled that the President had warned editor Lasantha Wickrematunge before his murder to be careful of "disgruntled business partners and retired army officers." ¶4. (C) Samaraweera said that he was convinced that the government had timed its attacks on the media to coincide with major military victories like the capture of Kilinochchi and Elephant Pass. He feared that future military successes would be coupled with several more attacks. As a result, he confided that he planned to leave the country soon and would spend about a month in London before heading for New York. RECALLS BREAK WITH PRESIDENT OVER HUMAN RIGHTS COLOMBO 00000082 002 OF 003 -------------- - ¶5. (C) Samaraweera recounted the history of his break with the Rajapaksas and dismissal from the government in February ¶2007. By mid-2006, he recalled, and especially after the murder of 17 Tamil humanitarian aid workers in Muttur in August 2006, he met the President, Defense Secretary, Senior Advisor Basil Rajapaksa and Presidential Secretary Lalith Weeratunge several times and argued for an investigation and prosecution of those responsible for serious human rights abuses. Basil started shouting at him, he told us, and Gothabaya insisted that to do so "would demoralize the whole Army." Samaraweera rejoined that in fact, the Army was becoming demoralized by the non-prosecution of the few guilty members of the armed forces. The government's inaction was sullying the reputation of the entire security forces. "The President cannot absolve himself of these deeds. I know, because we discussed them many times. His style is that he does not issue these orders directly. He gives a wink and a nod, and those around him know what to do. They all must be held accountable." ¶6. (C) Samaraweera said that in his opinion, Weerawansa and Ranawaka in particular had always believed that democracy was wrong for Sri Lanka and wanted to install an authoritarian, Sinhala Buddhist supremacist regime. Samaraweera said they had found the perfect vehicle for their plans in Defense Secretary Gothabaya Rajapaksa, whom he termed "extremely ambitious." The government's post-conflict strategy was beginning to emerge, he said, and that was "to silence critical voices." Samaraweera believed thatSri Lanka was headed toward some sort of politicl climax soon, "either in the war or in governane." Samaraweera mused that the President himsel was becoming a victim of the forces he had unleashed. PRESIDENT UPBRAIDS PASTOR ABOUT EDITOR'S FUNERAL -------------- --- ¶7. (C) Lanka Dissent, Samaraweera's news website, stopped publishing the day after editor Lasantha Wickrematunge's murder. Samaraweera said he had spoken to some Christian clergy who had met President Rajapaksa recently. The President wanted to reassure them about the pending anti-conversion bill, but first singled out the pastor of the church where Wickrematunge's funeral had taken place. "My brother (Gothabaya Rajapaksa) is upset that you had his funeral in your church." The pastor protested that Wickrematunge had been a member of the congregation. The President responded, "Yes, but you shouldn't have allowed all those UNP politicians to speak." The President was reportedly somewhat mollified when the ministers offered to pray for him as the leader of the country. He said, "I don't like this (anti-conversion) bill either - but we'll see what we can do." DEATH THREATS TO ATTORNEY IN CONSTITUTIONAL CASE -------------- --- ¶8. (C) Samaraweera mentioned that his party's attorney had also received death threats. Poloff met separately with the lawyer, Ravi Jayawardene, a petitioner in two fundamental rights cases currently before the Supreme Court. Jayawardene reported that he had received two phone calls on January 22 that threatened his life. The calls were traced to two separate phone booths in Colombo. Jayawardene said he had decided to leave the country and had already applied for a UK visa. Jayawardene is due in court on January 26 for a scheduled hearing before the Supreme Court in the suit seeking to compel the president to implement the 17th amendment to the Constitution by appointing the moribund Constitutional Council. The hearing is the first since the Chief Justice issued a 30-day deadline on December 4 for the government to reach an agreement with the opposition for COLOMBO 00000082 003 OF 003 nominees to the constitutional council. Jayawardene reported that he had heard that the President had held up an agreement with UNP leader Wickremasinghe over the opposition leader's nomination of Ranjith Abeysuriye, a former Attorney General and Police Commission Chief. According to Jayawardene, the President would likely again seek to delay appointing the Council by having a Sinhalese extremist party object to whoever the UNP nominated in Abeysuriye's place. That way, he could avoid implementing the Amendment without having to assume responsibility. ¶9. (C) COMMENT: According to recent media reports, Samaraweera was planning to go to Washington to request a meeting with Secretary of State Clinton to hand over a dossier detailing the crimes of the Defense Secretary and Army Commander. However, Samaraweera somewhat sheepishly confided that he himself had put out that story, thinking that raising his own profile at this juncture might provide some protection. He admitted he does not have sufficient specific evidence to compile such a dossier. According to the timeline he gave us, he plans to be in New York in early March. He expressed interest in meeting a senior official at the State Department, such as Assistant Secretary Boucher. We advised him that because of the transition it was difficult to arrange such appointments now, but offered to facilitate a meeting for him closer to the date of his travel. Blake