By Colombo Telegraph –
“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,” the US Embassy Colombo informed Washington.
Douglas and Basil
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 is written by the US Ambassador to Colombo, Robert O. Blake.
Ambassador Blake wrote “‘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.
Under the subheading “Winning Hearts and Minds in Jaffna” the ambassador wrote “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.’”
Below we give the relevant part of the leaked cable;
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). ¶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." BLAKE
de Silva / February 3, 2012
This guy Basil is a real hippocrat, read this too!! “Gota or Basil Ordered the Attack on Uthayan Newspaper Editor?”
it is no secret that the Mahinda Rajapaksha Ordered the killing of uthayan newspaper editor.
one of his brother implemented his order.
Uthayan reported attack was done by Basils Righthand man DogClass Devananda or by Gota`s Military Inteligent Unit.
with Weeks of Camps in Jaffna and talking bull shi% did not earn any vote for Rajapaksha.
his anger was against TNA and its activists.and the journalist who shown Rajapakshas real face to the public. unlike in the south people have short memory they forgot `helping hambantoda,MIG deal,USP+ loss,Billions of Dollars looted by Rajapakshas,whole family is in government,and they control 85% of the budget,the list goes on and on…..
they still voted for him so that the rest 15% of budget can also be control by rajapaksha.
after weeks of camping in jaffna to win votes,Basil after the election defeat he said this election is about puting the road and electricity to street so we are not bothered.
this shows his displesure and no doubt he would be instructed the attack on The elderly editor.
http://www.lankanewspapers.com/news/2011/8/69508_space.html
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Peter Casie Chetty / February 3, 2012
How are you privy to all the private discussions of teh Cabinet? Or dod they discuss this over a cup of tea in your home. Ypu pretend to know a lot of the inside stories. Douglas Devanada is a man who will sit on any lap if it carries him to a Minsiterial Post. He des nto need Government backing to do anything he wants in the Peninsular. Remember he was once a terrorist and he was at his best when Chandrika was President when he had more enemies. Now all his enemies are gone. Journalists, have taken sides and got into important positions because of that. The problem is that all the pro opposition journalists have had to wait a long time to get into the posts they were promised and the Udayan Editor must have got old waiting for Prabakaran to win. Thirty years is a long time. An elepahnt could have given birth to goats and cows if she was treated for that!
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Bodinayaka / February 3, 2012
i burn the Uthayan, what else you want to know? I’ll burn it again if I want to
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Guru / February 3, 2012
this story confirms that the LLRC was wrong
the army works hand in hand with EPDP/TMVP
and hence are equally to blame
in fact our info is that its army intelligence who control EPDP/TMVP cadres
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Abimanasingham Sitthawatthai Uthayakumar / February 3, 2012
All these only prevented US State Department and Justice Department from investigating and prosecuting a citizen and a permanent resident of the USA!!!!
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Peter Casie Chetty / February 3, 2012
The US have been proved to be a criminal minded Government ordering the assassinations of their enemies and youTamil moron want the Sri Lankan Government tPresident and Minsiters to be investigated and prosecuted by the US State Department!! You must be out of your bloody mind
The US interventions have cost the lives of over a million people since the 2nd WW ended and the only reason they can give for this is that it is in their own interests.
You people who kiss the white man’s backside must realise that they have been responsible for the genocides in Indo China, Korea, many countries in South America. That is a lot of killings for the “policemen” of the world to be doing. They are being chased out of Afghanistan and Iraq.. and you still want them to be judge and jury in our internal matters
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