By Colombo Telegraph –

“‘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.’” the US Embassy Colombo informed Washington.

Rajapaksa explained, naming Douglas Devananda's EPDP and the Karuna Faction who ‘might have weapons.’"

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.

Under the subheading “Douglas and Karuna, control your cadres.” the ambassador wrote “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.”

Related stories;

WikiLeaks: “STF murdered Trinco students” Basil to US

WikiLeaks: “looked like” EPDP and SL Navy burnt the Uthayan – Basil to US

Read the relevant part of the cable below for further details;

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).

"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