“The government of Sri Lanka (GSL) is committed to the political agenda of devolution, Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama and Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa told Deputy Secretary Negroponte in a July 31 meeting on the sidelines of ASEAN.” US Embassy Manila (Philippines) informed Washington.
Secretary to the Ministry of Defence
A classified diplomatic cable which details a meeting the US Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte had with Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama on July 31, 2007. The Colombo Telegraph found the related US diplomatic cable from the WikiLeaks database.
The US Embassy wrote; “The FM emphasized Sri Lanka’s intention to encourage a pluralist democratic government in the North, reviewed the military’s recent successes in the East, and committed to reducing civilian casualties in the conflict with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The FM expressed hope that the joint U.S.-Sri Lankan military exercises that were postponed last year would proceed this year, and raised concerns about the delay in the delivery of Bushmaster guns and ammunition. He also asked the Deputy Secretary to look into the possibility of another assessment of Sri Lanka’s eligibility for Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) funds. Finally, the FM emphasized that money collected by the LTTE from the Tamil Diaspora in the U.S. is allowing LTTE-sponsored violence to continue, and highlighted Sri Lanka’s commitment to human rights.”
Related stories to this cable;
WikiLeaks: Gota Requests US Law Enforcement Assistance To Address Civilian-Military Issues
WikiLeaks: Diaspora Funding Intended For Tamil People Goes To LTTE: Gota To US
We publish below the cable in full;
VZCZCXRO7781 OO RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM DE RUEHML #2586/01 2130914 ZNY CCCCC ZZH O 010914Z AUG 07 FM AMEMBASSY MANILA TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 7665 INFO RUEHZS/ASSOCIATION OF SOUTHEAST ASIAN NATIONS IMMEDIATE RUEHBS/AMEMBASSY BRUSSELS IMMEDIATE 0513 RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO IMMEDIATE 2875 RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI IMMEDIATE 2334
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MANILA 002586 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR D, SCA, AND EAP E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/08/2027 TAGS: ASEAN ETRD PREL EXBS PGOV PTER PHUM MOPS RP CE SUBJECT: THE DEPUTY SECRETARY'S MEETING WITH SRI LANKA FM ROHITHA BOGOLLAGAMA Classified By: Deputy Secretary Negroponte, reasons 1.4 c, d ¶1. (C) Summary: The government of Sri Lanka (GSL) is committed to the political agenda of devolution, Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama and Defense Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa told Deputy Secretary Negroponte in a July 31 meeting on the sidelines of ASEAN. The FM emphasized Sri Lanka's intention to encourage a pluralist democratic government in the North, reviewed the military's recent successes in the East, and committed to reducing civilian casualties in the conflict with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). The FM expressed hope that the joint U.S.-Sri Lankan military exercises that were postponed last year would proceed this year, and raised concerns about the delay in the delivery of Bushmaster guns and ammunition. He also asked the Deputy Secretary to look into the possibility of another assessment of Sri Lanka's eligibility for Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) funds. Finally, the FM emphasized that money collected by the LTTE from the Tamil Diaspora in the U.S. is allowing LTTE-sponsored violence to continue, and highlighted Sri Lanka's commitment to human rights. End Summary. Committed to Political Agenda ----------------------------- ¶2. (C) The government of Sri Lanka (GSL) is "totally committed" to the political agenda of devolution, and will start with the proposals put forth by the All-Party Representative Committee (APRC), Sri Lankan Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama told Deputy Secretary Negroponte in a July 31 meeting on the sidelines of ASEAN. The GSL is working to bring moderates and opposition members into the government, he emphasized, stating that "we want to encourage a pluralist, democratic environment in the North, and hope the LTTE is involved in the process." ¶3. (C) Reviewing the GSL's recent military successes in the East, the Foreign Minister explained that the region had been liberated from the hold of the LTTE. Describing the situation there as post-conflict, he noted that the government hopes to showcase this area, particularly to the Co-Chairs, to gain international assistance for livelihood and infrastructure projects. "We want people to benefit from the clearance of the LTTE," he emphasized. ¶4. (C) Violence between the government and LTTE has declined compared to last year, Bogollagama stated, adding that the GSL has been able to mitigate the effects of violence through security measures. Still, the LTTE deliberately draws attention to issues such as human rights or other issues of concern to the international community in order to detract attention from their own activities. When the attention of the international community is deflected onto the government, the LTTE is able to effectively "take a breather," and regroup. Military Cooperation and Surveillance Equipment --------------------------------------------- -- ¶5. (C) Highlighting a reduction in civilian casualties as "the one thing to improve," Sri Lankan Secretary of Defense Gotabaya Rajapaksa requested U.S. law enforcement assistance to address civilian-military issues and improve communication. The GSL has taken measures to reduce civilian casualties in the fight against the LTTE, he stated. ¶6. (C) Reiterating Sri Lanka's desire for enhanced maritime and ground surveillance capabilities, Rajapaksa also raised concerns about the "delay" in the delivery of Bushmaster naval guns and ammunition. He explained that the delay was not based on legal restrictions due to the country's internal political situation, but because of the need to ship the guns through a "staging point" such as Kuwait. Expressing appreciation for the long-standing military training program between the U.S. and Sri Lanka, Rajapaksa noted that the joint military exercises scheduled last year had been postponed. "We hope the exercises take place this year," he said. Millennium Challenge Account ---------------------------- ¶7. (C) Arguing that the "goalposts have shifted" in the threshold requirements for Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) disbursement, Foreign Minister Bogollagama asked the Deputy MANILA 00002586 002 OF 002 Secretary to look into Sri Lanka's qualification for MCA SIPDIS funds. Emphasizing that he had repeatedly raised concerns with U.S. interlocutors, the FM asked for another assessment of Sri Lanka's eligibility for the MCA before a final decision. Noting that the MCA funds would be used for development, he requested that the U.S. consider the Sri Lankan people and "not submit need-based judgments to various other considerations." The Deputy Secretary stated he would look into the matter. Money from the U.S. Keeps the LTTE Operating ------------------------------------------ ¶8. (C) Money collected by the LTTE among the Tamil Diaspora in the U.S. is allowing LTTE-sponsored violence to continue, FM Bogollagama emphasized. "We want to de-escalate the violence so that the political agenda gets out," but money raised in Europe, Canada and the U.S. is used to purchase arms and "hit us at home," he stated. Without the sources of foreign funds, the LTTE would be isolated among its own community because of the civilian casualties they inflict, he argued. He explained that the GSL would continue to raise this issue "because we want our position to be clear." ¶9. (C) Defense Secretary Rajapaksa clarified that the Tamil Diaspora has been funding the LTTE not because of radicalism, but because of a desire to make financial contributions to their homeland. The Diaspora thinks the money they send goes to the Tamil community, but in reality it goes for purchasing weapons, he said. Committed to Human Rights ------------------------- ¶10. (C) Sri Lanka seeks to be transparent regarding human rights issues and the detention and prosecution of terrorists, FM Bogollagama stated. "We want to be transparent and to see law enforcement authorities consciously following human rights norms and be more educated toward civilians." He also noted that the GSL remained committed to conducting human rights training at every level of the military hierarchy. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has been providing assistance for human rights training at the field level, he said. ¶11. (C) Linguistic differences between military personnel and the Sri Lankan communities in which they work pose a challenge, he said, comparing the situation to U.S. military personnel working in Iraq. The GSL is making an effort to have officers speak the language of the people they come into contact with. ¶12. (U) July 31,2007; 1615; Manila, Philippines. ¶13. (U) Meeting Participants: U.S. Deputy Secretary of State John Negroponte Kaye Lee, Special Assistant to the Deputy Secretary of State Siriana Nair, Notetaker Adam Scarlatelli, Notetaker Sri Lanka Foreign Minister Rohitha Bogollagama W M Senevirathna, Ambassador to the Philippines Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Secretary of Defense Donald Perera, Chief of Defense Staff Dhakshitha Bogollagama, Notetaker KENNEY
Tamil from the north / January 2, 2014
Bloody joker is full of sh@@.
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Thondamanaru / January 3, 2014
Quote “Bloody Joker,” the Tamil from the North still insisted on waging war against the GOSL instead of turning against the high caste Tamils who supressed the Low Caste all their lives and used them as cannon fodder for Velu & LTTE to use for their hidden agenda and fortify their positions overseas sefishly sacrificing future of Tamil youth & children………..
Ungrateful it seems, if not for free education proposed by C.W.W.Kanangara, the Low Caste Tamils of the North would have been engaged in Karaveddy drying, Toddy tapping for jobs and serving as underpaid servants in High Caste Tamil’s homes in Jaffna and Colombo and that is the only way the Low Caste would have ever got to see or visit Colombo.
IN 2007, A FULL PACKAGE OF DEVOLUTION WAS ON OFFER, BUT, “WE” THE BLOODY JOKER TAMILS FROM THE NORTH FAILED TO GRASP IT AND INSTEAD CONTINUED TO TAKE ON THE GOSL WITH A FALSE ILLUSION THAT FALL OF GOSL WAS IMMINENT.
ALS !!! THE HAND OF GOD WENT AGAINST THE LTTE, CATHOLIC CLERGY WHO WERE CRAVING FOR A EELAM IN THE NORTH FOR TAMIL CATHOLICS AND WITH ……….IT GOT DROWNED THE “DEVOLUTION”.
Demographics & fortunes changed, GOSL succeeds to defeat the most ruthless terrorists outfit in the world at their game and now “WE” the bloody joker tamils in the North crying fouls and misleading the world leaders and buying the media to publish false propaganda
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Piranha / January 3, 2014
Is it any wonder the US is sponsoring resolution after resolution against the Rajapaksa government at the UNHRC. It is clear to all that the Rajapaksa regime lied to its supporters before and continues to lie and deceive them.
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Citizen / January 5, 2014
If Sri Lanka is committed to the political agenda of devolution according to Gota and FM, why not come out with Federalism. Have they got the courage to criticize Federalism while in USA. I think Sri Lanka need some more heavy pressure. Because of their unbalanced state on the concept of Federalism, there was heavy loss of lives and destruction of properties and still carrying on with the malignant economic policy. If devolution is granted, can the prominent figures carry on with the heroin business and casino business.
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