“The Ambassador met Presidential Advisor Basil Rajapaksa, younger brother to President Mahinda Rajapaksa, on October 4. After the Ambassador reviewed US priorities and initiatives in Sri Lanka, Rajapaksa spoke frankly about human rights issues, requesting that the United States and Co-chairs help the Government of Sri Lanka (GSL) improve its human rights capability. Rajapaksa spoke of the GSL’s humanitarian efforts in Jaffna ‘to win hearts and minds’ while defending the country against terrorism, citing the Ministry of Defense’s (MoD) desire to purchase US Bushmaster cannons for the Navy. The President’s Advisor also noted that the GSL has expressed interest in returning to peace talks ‘sooner than later,’ on October 14.” the US Embassy Colombo informed Washington.
Robert Blake
The Colombo Telegraph found the related leaked cable from the WikiLeaks database. The cable is classified as “CONFIDENTIAL” and recounts details of a meeting US Ambassador to Colombo has had with President’s advisor and his brother Basil Rajapaksa on October 04, 2006. The cable was written by the US Ambassador to Colombo, Robert O. Blake.
Placing a comment Blake wrote; “The Ambassador’s first meeting with Basil Rajapaksa sparked a candid response from the Presidential Advisor and laid the foundation for a pragmatic relationship with the embassy. Rajapaksa’s frank discussion of the GSL’s human rights struggles with its security forces and request for international assistance in human rights capacity building is welcome.”
Related stories to this cable;
WikiLeaks: “STF Murdered Trinco Students” Basil To US
WikiLeaks: Karuna And Local Criminal Gangs Had Taken Over The Business
Other cables;
Read the cable below for further information;
VZCZCXRO9362 PP RUEHBI DE RUEHLM #1622/01 2771153 ZNY CCCCC ZZH P 041153Z OCT 06 FM AMEMBASSY COLOMBO TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4404 INFO RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA 9478 RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 6378 RUEHKT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU 4423 RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 3225 RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI 0024 RUEHNY/AMEMBASSY OSLO 3316 RUEHSM/AMEMBASSY STOCKHOLM 0393 RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 2395 RUEHCG/AMCONSUL CHENNAI 6934 RUEHBI/AMCONSUL MUMBAI 4776 RUEKDIA/DIA WASHDC RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 1397
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 001622
SIPDIS
SIPDIS
E.O. 12958: DECL: 10/04/2016
TAGS: PREL PTER PHUM PREF MOPS CE
SUBJECT: SRI LANKA: PRESIDENTIAL ADVISOR BASIL RAJAPAKSA
SPEAKS FRANKLY ABOUT HUMAN RIGHTS AND KARUNA FACTION
REF: A. COLOMBO 1617 AND PREVIOUS
¶B. COLOMBO 1604 AND PREVIOUS
Classified By: Ambassador Robert O. Blake for reasons 1.4(b,d).
¶1. (C) Summary: The Ambassador met Presidential Advisor
Basil Rajapaksa, younger brother to President Mahinda
Rajapaksa, on October 4. After the Ambassador reviewed US
priorities and initiatives in Sri Lanka, Rajapaksa spoke
frankly about human rights issues, requesting that the United
States and Co-chairs help the Government of Sri Lanka (GSL)
improve its human rights capability. Rajapaksa spoke of the
GSL's humanitarian efforts in Jaffna "to win hearts and
minds" while defending the country against terrorism, citing
the Ministry of Defense's (MoD) desire to purchase US
Bushmaster cannons for the Navy. The President's Advisor
also noted that the GSL has expressed interest in returning
to peace talks "sooner than later," on October 14. End
Summary.
Peace Talks for the Country,
Air Raids to "Keep the South Happy"
-----------------------------------
¶2. (C) During an October 4 courtesy call, Ambassador Blake
reviewed to Presidential Advisor Basil Rajapaksa (brother of
President Mahinda Rajapaksa and Defense Secretary Gothabaya
Rajapaksa,) US priorities and initiatives in Sri Lanka. The
Ambassador expressed the USG's strong hope that the GSL and
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) would participate in
peace talks in October or early November and emphasized our
wish to help the GSL strengthen its human rights record.
¶3. (C) Rajapaksa told us that the President had decided as of
this morning to return to talks as early as October 14 or
after October 27 (note: they will be busy in the interim
with Parliamentary consideration of the budget). He said:
"If we delay, something can happen. The LTTE's communication
network is down, for instance. Someone might inadvertently
plant a bomb." In fact, he said, a bomb squad had defused a
claymore bomb found in a dumpster in a predominantly Tamil
neighborhood in Colombo that morning.
¶4. (C) The Ambassador reiterated what he told Defense
Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa on October 3, that it is
SIPDIS
important that the military exercise restraint and not engage
in offensive action. Basil conceded that: "The Air Force
(SLAF) has bombed several LTTE targets since the (September
12) Co-chairs' statement, but we didn't move forward an inch
(at the forward defense line (FDL)). While we keep the
talking going, we must also keep the South (Sinhalese
constituents) happy. If we're not making gains against the
terrorists, the people won't support us." He added that the
Ministry of Defense hopes to purchase Bushmaster cannons from
the United States to overcome the Sea Tiger's equal artillery
strength.
"President is Keen on Human Rights"
-----------------------------------
¶5. (C) Basil told the Ambassador that the President genuinely
seeks the help of the Co-chairs, and the US in particular, to
improve Sri Lanka's human rights capability by lending
experts, assisting with inquiries, and building up the
indigenous Human Rights Commission (HRC). The Ambassador
agreed that President Rajapaksa and Development and Human
Rights Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe have strong reputations
as human rights advocates, but noted the UNHCR lacked
credibility.
¶6. (C) Speaking with surprising candor, Rajapaksa explained
the GSL's efforts to prove that members of the Security Task
Force (STF) murdered five students in Trincomalee in January:
"We know the STF did it, but the bullet and gun evidence
shows that they did not. They must have separate guns when
they want to kill some one. We need forensic experts. We
COLOMBO 00001622 002 OF 002
know who did it, but we can't proceed in prosecuting them."
¶7. (C) He said that the Sri Lanka Army (SLA) has been
sufficiently trained in human rights, but that the Sri Lanka
Navy (SLN) has been credibly implicated in harassment and
human rights violations. "We have few complaints in areas of
SLA presence, but we have a problem with the SLN," Rajapaksa
explained. "We didn't expect them to work with civilians and
they weren't trained." He said the President has prioritized
human rights training for the Navy. Rajapaksa added that with
a new law requiring that police notify the magistrate before
they can detain a suspect for longer than 24 hours, "We have
minimized harassment by the police."
"Douglas and Karuna, control your cadres."
-----------------------------------------
¶8. (C) Basil addressed the September 29 arrest of a Karuna
cadre for the kidnapping-for-ransom of a Colombo businessman.
He said that arrest had led to the arrest of 13 other Karuna
cadres with the help of a newly appointed 100-officer police
division to investigate abductions. He speculated that the
LTTE has long run an extortion ring targeting Tamil
businessmen, but that now Karuna and local criminal gangs had
taken over the business.
¶9. (C) "We have had trouble with other Tamil groups,"
Rajapaksa explained, naming Douglas Devananda's Eelam
People's Democratic Party (EPDP) and the Karuna Faction who
"might have weapons." Rajapaksa said that the Government of
Sri Lanka (GSL) has requested Devananda and the Tamil Mukkal
Vidutalai Pulikal (TMVP - Tamil People's Liberation Tigers,
a.k.a. the Karuna faction) to control their members and in
the case of the TMVP to "go back to Batticaloa." "We have
clearly instructed Douglas and Karuna that they are
personally responsible for the actions of their members." He
added that it "looked like" EPDP cadres, along with the SLN,
had perpetrated the mid-August burning of the pro-LTTE
Uthayan newspaper office in Jaffna.
"Winning Hearts and Minds in Jaffna"
------------------------------------
¶10. (C) Rajapaksa spoke proudly of the GSL's efforts to
improve the humanitarian situation in Jaffna, where fighting
since August 11 has cut off the supply line by land. He said
that in Jaffna "the Tamils feel we are trying to look after
them by sending supplies. They know that the LTTE refused to
allow the ICRC supply chain but that we have never stopped
supplying food despite the cost."
Comment
-------
¶11. (C) The Ambassador's first meeting with Basil Rajapaksa
sparked a candid response from the Presidential Advisor and
laid the foundation for a pragmatic relationship with the
embassy. Rajapaksa's frank discussion of the GSL's human
rights struggles with its security forces and request for
international assistance in human rights capacity building is
welcome.
BLAKE
Qassim Ben Qassim / August 21, 2013
OK! now (US to Silly Lanka): be a Good boy & follow our Burmese Buddhist slaves & do what we tell you & you can do anything under the sun specially murdering the Muslims, destroying thier economy , strip thier women’s modest attires so the sickos can rape them, deny the basic right of their dietary & completely deny thier rights of worship ,next time we will provide you with bombs ,so that you can bombs the whole lot of rag head mothers for good ,just get a boogeyman arranged to take the blame & on the bosses b’day you can pardon him ,stop worrying now & at sun set get into your G strings & have some coconut toddy…
International pardon will be granted soon on recommendations of US’s ill begotten child- Zionist Israel ……
ssh,ssh ssh, omg I forgot am being (fxxxing) Antisemitic…
/
gamini / August 21, 2013
This man Robert Blake was the main supervisor of the Staged War Drama representing the American Interest.
/
JULAMPITIYE AMARAYA / August 21, 2013
I Do not care about That Bloody HUMANRIGHTS.
What I care is , BUSHMASTER OR LAND MASTER,
I WANT MY Percentage Of Commissions to go to my SWISS BANK Account,
when the purchase order approved.
OK ,REMBER THAT Mr BLAKE.
/
Anjula / September 11, 2013
But you can not reclaim the lives of 70000 Tamil civilians killed by the SL Army.
/
Qassim / October 17, 2013
@Anjula – why complaint -karuna did exactly what the Zionist did – They got Hitler the ill begotten sicko from the streets and made him the boogeyman and got the job done, and the Suni Muslims (traditionalists crooks among Muslims – to protect all their ill earnings ,they have created Boogey sects , whabis etc etc, to work with the idiots like in Myanmar & Sri lanka, now that Karuna’s Job is done and they got their own Cheap Minister ,Unsuspecting poor innocents Muslims are to be slaughtered for the gains of drug peddlers.human smugglers, The Undiyal(Money launderers ) bxxxds, fks who use unsuspecting innocent western women as marriage of convenience , and not forgetting the Pettah mafias — when will we understand the bottom game is money at any cost..
Don’t forget the iftar the suni buggers had with Gota- everything is a big game..
/