SRI LANKA: ARMY CAPTURES MULLAITIVU; BOTH SIDES

C O N F I D E N T I A L COLOMBO 000086


DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/INS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/26/2019
TAGS: MOPS PHUM PREF CE
SUBJECT: SRI LANKA: ARMY CAPTURES MULLAITIVU; BOTH SIDES
VIOLATE GSL-DECLARED NO-FIRE ZONE

REF: A. COLOMBO 079

B. COLOMBO 065

C. COLOMBO 044

D. COLOMBO 033


Classified By: Ambassador Robert O. Blake, Jr., for reasons 1.4(b,d).


1. (SBU) Army Commander Sarath Fonseka announced in a live
television broadcast on January 25 that the military had
captured Mullaitivu - the last major town held by the LTTE.
In a campaign appearance for the February 14 Central Province
council elections, President Mahinda Rajapaksa stated that
the day in which Northern Tamils would be liberated from
terrorism was not far off. Mullaitivu had been under LTTE
control since 1996. The Army now stands on the verge of
taking Puthukudiyiruppu (PTK),an area in which much of the
Vanni's displaced civilian population had congregated (ref
B). Pro-LTTE website Tamilnet indicated that Mullaitivu had
been vacated by civilians prior to its fall. There have been
no reports that government forces captured large stocks of
heavy weapons there. As they have done previously, the
Tigers most likely withdrew important military assets prior
to abandoning the town.


2. (C) A significant proportion of the Vanni's more than
250,000 population is now located in the 35 square kilometer
"safe" area the government declared as a no fire zone on
January 21 (ref A). However, UN Resident Representative Neil
Buhne reported to Ambassador on January 25 that the GSL had
violated its commitment not to fire into the zone. According
to Buhne (as well as military sources),the LTTE is firing on
government positions from the area and the Army is returning
fire. The GSL had also asked the UN to relocate its
remaining personnel in the Vanni to this "safe zone." The UN
complied, being careful to notify the military authorities of
its exact GPS coordinates. We are in indirect contact with
one of the two UN expatriate workers still in the Vanni. He
reported shelling by the SLA within the no-fire zone,
including a significant explosion 8 meters from the UN bunker
which killed and injured scores of civilians, and also
injured a UN staff member.


3. (SBU) On January 25, Kalaignar TV, a popular TV station in
Tamil Nadu owned by Chief Minister Karunanidhi, claimed that
1,600 SLA soldiers had been killed in recent action in the
Vanni. Some Tamil sources alleged that over 1,000 Sri Lankan
Army soldiers died when LTTE forces blew up a reservoir dam,
flooding sections of the A-35 Paranthan - Mullaitivu road.
Embassy has not been able to verify this probably exaggerated
casualty count, nor do we know whether Tamil civilians also
perished. DAO will report septel on the recent fighting.


4. (SBU) COMMENT: Although the Army has a generally good
track record of taking care to minimize civilian casualties
during its advances, the military is now reportedly under
pressure to take control of the remaining LTTE-held territory
prior to Sri Lankan national day celebrations on February 4,
allowing the President to declare final victory against the
LTTE. Ambassador will use the occasion of a ceremonial
handover of food assistance to the World Food Programme to
urge the LTTE to allow the IDPs freedom of movement, and urge
both sides to exercise maximum restraint in use of shelling
in areas populated by civilians.


Blake