By Colombo Telegraph –

“However, Ranga said that the current government, cash-strapped, has ended this arrangement. Instead, he alleged, Defense Secretary Gothabaya Rajapaksa has authorized EPDP and Karuna to collect the money from Tamil businessmen. This may account for the sharp rise in lawlessness, especially extortion and kidnapping, that many have documented in Vavuniya and Colombo.” the US Embassy Colombo informed Washington.

Namal, Devananda, Basil and Sri Ranga

The Colombo Telegraph found the related leaked cable from the WikiLeaks database. The cable is classified as “SECRET” and discuses Sri Lanka’s paramilitary operations. The cable was written by the Ambassador Robert O. Blake.

The cable, dated May 18, 2007, updated the Secretary of State on Sri Lanka’s issue of paramilitary operations and asked strictly protect Sri Ranga Jeyaratnam as their source. Sri Ranga is described as a person who has close personal ties to the Rajapaksa family.

Sri Ranga was elected to represent opposition United National Party in 2010 general elections and later crossover to ruling party. Prior to becoming a member of Sri Lankan Parliament, Sri Ranga served in numerous positions at the Shakthi TV (MTV) station. In 2008, the East-West Center invited Sri Ranga to participate in “The New Generation Seminar” (NGS) along with other young leaders from the United States and Asia Pacific. The program is developed around a thematic focus and provides participants with an opportunity to strengthen their understanding of Asia Pacific-U.S. developments and challenges, build a regional network and to become leaders with a more international perspective. He participated in the 18th New Generation Seminar held in Honolulu, Youngstown and Washington D.C. during September and October of 2008

Ambassador Blake wrote “The GSL has a history of funding paramilitary groups. Popular Tamil TV talk show host Sri Ranga Jeyaratnam (strictly protect), who has close personal ties to the Rajapaksa family, pointed out that under former President Kumaratunga, the GSL had begun the practice of paying paramilitaries to refrain from engaging in criminal pursuits. Several Embassy interlocutors have independently confirmed this. However, Ranga said that the current government, cash-strapped, has ended this arrangement.”

“ Instead, he alleged, Defense Secretary Gothabaya Rajapaksa has authorized EPDP and Karuna to collect the money from Tamil businessmen. This may account for the sharp rise in lawlessness, especially extortion and kidnapping, that many have documented in Vavuniya and Colombo. Even though EPDP and Karuna are each comprised nearly exclusively of ethnic Tamils, the crimes that they commit are almost always against other Tamils.” Blake further wrote.

Below we give the relevant part of the cable;

VZCZCXRO9322 OO RUEHBI RUEHLMC DE RUEHLM #0728/01 1380922 ZNY SSSSS ZZH O 180922Z MAY 07 FM AMEMBASSY COLOMBO TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6072 INFO RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN PRIORITY 0407 RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA PRIORITY 0115 RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD PRIORITY 7096 RUEHKT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU PRIORITY 5189 RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 3756 RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI PRIORITY 0973 RUEHNY/AMEMBASSY OSLO PRIORITY 3828 RUEHOT/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA PRIORITY 1087 RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY 2907 RUEHCG/AMCONSUL CHENNAI PRIORITY 7682 RUEHBI/AMCONSUL MUMBAI PRIORITY 5363 RUEHON/AMCONSUL TORONTO PRIORITY 0209 RUEKJCS/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY RUEKJCS/JOINT STAFF WASHDC PRIORITY RUEHLMC/MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORPORATION PRIORITY RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 2046 RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI PRIORITY RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS PRIORITY

Friday, 18 May 2007, 09:22 S E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 06 COLOMBO 000728 SIPDIS SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/INS MCC FOR S GROFF, D TETER, D NASSIRY AND E BURKE EO 12958 DECL: 05/18/2017 TAGS PGOV, PREL, PTER, PHUM, MOPS, CE SUBJECT: SRI LANKA: GSL COMPLICITY IN PARAMILITARY FACTIONS’ HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES REF: A. COLOMBO 591 B. COLOMBO 561 C. COLOMBO 463 D. COLOMBO 460 E. 2006 COLOMBO 2056 F. 2006 COLOMBO 1896 G. 2005 COLOMBO 2157 H. 2004 COLOMBO 1219

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

¶1. (S) SUMMARY: Allegations of government complicity in crimes committed by organized paramilitary groups have mounted in the last year. Paramilitaries such as the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE)-breakaway Karuna group and Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP) have helped the Government of Sri Lanka (GSL) to fight the LTTE, to kidnap suspected LTTE collaborators, and to give the GSL a measure of deniability. The GSL, which denies any links to paramilitary groups, has recently touted its efforts to improve its human rights record, such as the re-publication of procedures on arrests and detentions and the appointment of a “One-Man Commission” to investigate reported disappearances (ref C). However, these efforts so far appear aimed more at improving Sri Lanka’s image abroad and have yet to produce concrete improvements in the human rights situation. Outside the capital, the incidence of human rights abuses has continued, including extrajudicial killings, abductions, child trafficking, extortion, and prostitution. President Rajapaksa’s government, strapped for cash, has cut direct payments to paramilitaries initiated by former President Kumaratunga and instead turns a blind eye to extortion and kidnapping for ransom by EPDP and Karuna. While many of the charges against the government have been made in public fora, a growing number of trusted Embassy contacts, often at personal risk, have described in detail the extent of the GSL’s involvement with paramilitary groups. END SUMMARY.

¶4. (S) The GSL has a history of funding paramilitary groups. Popular Tamil TV talk show host Sri Ranga Jeyaratnam (strictly protect), who has close personal ties to the Rajapaksa family, pointed out that under former President Kumaratunga, the GSL had begun the practice of paying paramilitaries to refrain from engaging in criminal pursuits. Several Embassy interlocutors have independently confirmed this. However, Ranga said that the current government, cash-strapped, has ended this arrangement. Instead, he alleged, Defense Secretary Gothabaya Rajapaksa has authorized EPDP and Karuna to collect the money from Tamil businessmen. This may account for the sharp rise in lawlessness, especially extortion and kidnapping, that many have documented in Vavuniya and Colombo. Even though EPDP and Karuna are each comprised nearly exclusively of ethnic Tamils, the crimes that they commit are almost always against other Tamils.

BLAKE