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Viewing cable 09COLOMBO180, Northern Sri Lanka SitRep 16

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Reference ID Created Released Classification Origin
09COLOMBO180 2009-02-19 13:53 2011-08-25 00:00 UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Embassy Colombo
O 191353Z FEB 09
FM AMEMBASSY COLOMBO
TO SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 9405
INFO AMEMBASSY ATHENS 
AMEMBASSY BANGKOK 
AMEMBASSY DHAKA 
AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 
AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU 
AMEMBASSY LONDON 
AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 
AMEMBASSY OSLO 
AMEMBASSY TOKYO 
AMCONSUL CHENNAI 
AMCONSUL MUMBAI 
AMCONSUL TORONTO 
USEU BRUSSELS
USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 
USMISSION GENEVA 
HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI
DIA WASHINGTON DC
NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
SECDEF WASHDC
CDRUSARPAC FT SHAFTER HI//APCW/APOP//
CDR USPACOM HONOLULU HI//J3/J332/J52//
UNCLAS COLOMBO 000180 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR SCA (BOUCHER, CAMP), SCA/INS AND PRM 
STATE ALSO PASS USAID 
AID/W FOR ANE/SCA, DCHA/FFP (DWORKEN, KSHEIN), LPA 
AID/W FOR DCHA/OFDA (MORRISP, ACONVERY, RTHAYER, RKERR) 
ATHENS FOR PCARTER 
BANGKOK FOR USAID/DCHA/OFDA (ADWYER) 
KATHMANDU FOR USAID/DCHA/OFDA (WBERGER) 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: MOPS PREF PHUM PGOV PREL ASEC CE
SUBJECT: Northern Sri Lanka SitRep 16 
 
Ref: A) Colombo 173,  B) Colombo 166,  C) Colombo 157,  D) Colombo 
152, E) Colombo 149, F) Colombo 148, G) Colombo 145, H) Colombo 140, 
I) Colombo 138, J) Colombo 133, K) Colombo 130, L) Colombo 129, M) 
Colombo 127, N) Colombo 125, O) Colombo 124, P) Colombo 116, Q) 
Colombo 109, R) Colombo 108 
 
1. (SBU) Summary: UN Under Secretary-General for Humanitarian 
Affairs John Holmes began his visit to Sri Lanka, which will likely 
bring renewed international attention to the Sri Lankan conflict. 
Ambassador stressed to Holmes and Foreign Minister Bogollagama that 
Sri Lankan forces would likely control in a matter of days all 
territory in the North except the 12 kilometer long safe zone.  He 
pointed out that to avoid mass civilian casualties, it will then be 
essential for the GSL to exercise restraint and allow diplomacy by 
Norway and others to persuade the LTTE to release civilians.  On 
February 18, th Government of India called on the Liberation Tiger 
of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) to lay down arms and relese civilians trapped 
by the conflict.  The Goverment of India offered to assist in 
evacuating civilians, and rejected calls from Tamil Nadu parties to 
intervene to end the conflict.  End summary. 
 
UN U/SYG Holmes Visit 
--------------------- 
 
2.  (SBU) UN U/SYG for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief 
Coordinator Sir John Holmes began a three day visit to Sri Lanka on 
February 19.  His visit will include meetings with the Foreign 
Minister and Defense Secretary on February 19, a visit to the IDP 
camps in Vavuniya on February 20, and a meeting with President 
Rajapaksa on February 21.  In a lunch with selected Ambassadors 
hosted by Foreign Minister in Holmes's honor, Ambassador told the 
Minister and Holmes that the top priority is to persuade the LTTE to 
release the 70,000 trapped by fighting in the North.  Ambassador 
commended the government and ICRC for recent progress in evacuating 
wounded and bringing in needed food and medicine. 
 
3.  (SBU) Ambassador noted that Sri Lankan security forces would 
likely control in a matter of days all the territory in the North 
except the 12x2 kilometer safe zone.  At that point it would be 
essential for the GSL to exercise patience and restraint to allow 
diplomacy by Norway and others to persuade the LTTE to release 
civilians.  Any effort by the Sri Lankan military to finish off the 
remaining LTTE cadres before civilians could first be separated 
could result in thousands of civilian casualties, he warned. 
Regarding camps in Vavuniya, Ambassador noted that the UN is 
reporting it has good access.  However, the Sri Lankan military has 
not allowed the ICRC to monitor the screening and registration of 
IDPs as they come out of the North, a major issue given reports of 
disappearances.  Indian High Commissioner Prasad echoed Ambassador's 
concerns.   The Minister did not directly address the Ambassador's 
remarks, but Holmes later indicated that he shared Ambassador's 
concern about the need for restraint to allow diplomacy to work and 
the need for ICRC access. 
 
WFP to resume food shipments as early as Saturday 
--------------------------------------------- ---- 
 
4. (SBU) At the same lunch WFP Coordinator Adnan Khan informed 
Ambassador that the GSL had made available a tug that could 
 
transport up to 80 tons of food per day from Trincomalee to the safe 
zone.  He expressed hope that the first shipment could be loaded the 
evening of February 20 for delivery to the safe zone the morning of 
February 21.  He expressed thanks for the U.S. Government's 
authorization to use U.S. donated food for such shipments. 
 
5. (U) Holmes travels to Vavuniya on February 20 to view 
humanitarian assistance for internally displaced persons (IDPs) from 
the North.  He will return to Sri Lanka next week to attend the 
SAARC Foreign Ministers' Summit. 
 
Medical Evacuations 
------------------- 
 
6. (SBU) On February 19-20, the ICRC will undertake a fourth 
operation to evacuate an additional 400 wounded persons in the safe 
zone.  This will bring total evacuations from the safe zone to 
Trincomalee to approximately 1600.  The ship departing tonight will 
be the first to ferry in much-needed medical supplies provided by 
the Government.  Evacuated patients are being treated in Trincomalee 
town and in various government hospitals in Vavuniya and other 
locations.  ICRC reports approximately 100 new wounded are arriving 
on the safe zone beach every day. 
 
India Calls on LTTE to Release Civilians; Offers Evacuation 
Assistance 
--------------------------------------------- ------- 
 
7. (U) On February 18, Government of India External Affairs Minister 
Pranab Mukherjee discussed Sri Lanka issues in the Indian Lok Sabha 
Parliament's lower house.  He declared that the Government of India 
was prepared to assist in evacuating civilians in coordination with 
the Government of Sri Lanka and the International Committee for the 
Red Cross (ICRC).  Additionally, he rejected internal calls from 
pro-LTTE parties in Tamil Nadu to intervene to stop the Sri Lankan 
military's actions, noting, "the Government of India has no 
instrumentality under which it can force a sovereign government to 
take a particular action." 
 
Conditions for IDPs 
------------------- 
 
8. (U) UNHCR reports the UN and NGOs are assisting with relief to 
over 34,000 IDPs from the Vanni now in Jaffna, Vavuniya, and Mannar 
districts.  Approximately 30,000 are in 17 sites (converted schools 
and transit camps) in the Vavuniya area. The Government announced 
this week that it will allocate an additional 100 acres to ease 
overcrowding in the Menik Farms site in Vavuniya. 
 
Medical Crisis in South 
----------------------- 
 
9.  (SBU) A reliable USAID partner with close ties to the Ministry 
of Health informed the Mission today of an acute degradation of the 
public heath system in northern Sri Lanka.  Our source reports that 
the recent surge of conflict casualties has overwhelmed the public 
hospitals in Trincomalee, Anuradhapura and Vavuniya.  There is an 
acute lack of preventative and curative supplies at the three 
locations and no buffer stocks. Qualified staff in sufficient 
 
numbers to respond adequately in the northern are not available. 
Overflow patients are transported to Kandy and five hospitals in the 
Colombo area that are struggling with supplies as well.   USAID/OFDA 
is actively working with NGO partners to source several WHO health 
kits to improve access to hospital supplies in the north.  However 
our source said that the MOH is rigorously restricting international 
access to hospitals thus far.  Ambassador and OFDA Regional Advisor 
will meet with Minister of Health on February 20 to explore the 
scope for US assistance and access. 
 
Reported Civilian Casualties 
---------------------------- 
 
10. (SBU) Tamil sources from within the LTTE-controlled area claim 
108 civilians killed (including 49 children) and 223 injured on 
February 18.  Approximately 200 persons reached 
Government-controlled territory on February 18. (Note: Such reports 
from Tamil sources cannot be confirmed and are frequently 
exaggerated.) 
 
BLAKE