PRESIDENT QUESTIONS VERACITY OF CPA DIRECTOR DEATH

C O N F I D E N T I A L COLOMBO 000894 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/INSB E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/17/2019 TAGS: PGOV PREL PREF PHUM PTER EAID MOPS CE SUBJECT: PRESIDENT QUESTIONS VERACITY OF CPA DIRECTOR DEATH THREAT REF: A. COLOMBO 890 ¶B. COLOMBO 860 Classified By: AMBASSADOR PATRICIA BUTENIS. REASONS: 1.4 (B, D) ¶1. (U) On September 16, President Rajapaksa called for an investigation to verify a death threat against Paikiasothi Saravanamuttu, or &Sara8, Director of the Centre for Policy Alternatives. As mentioned in ref. A, Sara received a letter on August 20, 2009, threatening him with death for his alleged role in pushing the EU to revoke GSP-plus trade concessions for Sri Lanka. At the time he received the threat Sara immediately forwarded a scan of the actual letter and the envelope in which it arrived to a wide range of diplomatic, civil society, and other persons. He contacted top members of the Government of Sri Lanka (GSL) to inform them of the threat and to demand they investigate it and ensure his safety. ¶2. (U) A half-page advertisement appeared in the local Daily Mirror on September 16, which condemned the death threat on Sara, explained in detail his actual position on GSP-plus, and defended his reputation. (NOTE: Sara has called for a continuation of GSP-plus along with an improvement by the GSL on its human rights record. END NOTE.) The statement was signed by about 125 prominent persons and human rights advocates in Sri Lanka. ¶3. (C) Later on September 16, during a Cabinet meeting, the president questioned whether the death threat was real and reportedly called his brother Gotabaya Rajapaksa at the Ministry of Defence to ask him to investigate. Media reports say the president stated that an international conspiracy was clearly at work trying to ruin Sri Lanka,s reputation and that this signed statement could be used against the country. He asked that officials follow up with the signatories to the statement to question them on whether they really believed Sara had been threatened. Sara told Embassy staff that the police came and took a statement from him again today, for the third time, about the threat. Post discretely will contact some others on the list to see whether the police questioned them. COMMENT: -------------- ¶4. (C) The president appears to be attacking the veracity of Saravanamuttu and his supporters for domestic political purposes, attempting to portray Sri Lanka as under threat from a conspiracy of Western international actors and their local allies. This appears to contradict a recently inaugurated attempt to boost Sri Lanka's image in the eyes of the international community -- especially the EU -- in the run-up to the GSP-plus decision (ref B). This is a tough balancing act but one Rajapaksa will have to perform deftly as both the GSP-plus decision and the domestic election season approach. BUTENIS