{"id":4685,"date":"2012-02-16T14:28:38","date_gmt":"2012-02-16T14:28:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/colombotelegraph.com\/?p=4685"},"modified":"2017-07-23T10:44:37","modified_gmt":"2017-07-23T05:14:37","slug":"wikileaks-major-general-chandrasiri-confided-mod-instruction-to-us","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.colombotelegraph.com\/index.php\/wikileaks-major-general-chandrasiri-confided-mod-instruction-to-us\/","title":{"rendered":"WikiLeaks: Major General Chandrasiri Confided MOD Instruction To US"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Colombo Telegraph –<\/strong><\/p>\n

A leaked \u201csecret \u201c US diplomatic cable, dated May 18, 2007, updated the Secretary of State on Sri Lanka\u2019s issue of paramilitary operations shows then military commander in Jaffna and present Governor ,Northern Province Major General \u00a0G.A. Chandrasiri, confided Ministry of Defence instruction to US Ambassador Robert O. Blake.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Jaffna Security Forces Commander Major General G.A Chandrasiri escorts US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher and Ambassador Robert O Blake<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cIn the meantime, these paramilitary groups give the GSL a measure of deniability. Jaffna Government Agent K. Ganesh told us that some military commanders in Jaffna, including Major General Chandrasiri, want to clamp down on paramilitaries but have orders from Defense Secretary Gothabaya Rajapaksa to not interfere with the paramilitaries on the grounds that they are doing ‘work’ that the military cannot do because of international scrutiny.<\/strong> On December 7, 2006, Chandrasiri confided to Ambassador Blake in Jaffna that the Defense Ministry had instructed him not to interfere with ‘military intelligence’ operations (ref E).\u201d the US Embassy Colombo informed Washington.<\/p>\n

The Colombo Telegraph found the related leaked cable from the WikiLeaks database. The cable is classified as \u201cSECRET\u201d and discuses Sri Lanka\u2019s paramilitary operations and written by the Ambassador Robert O. Blake.<\/p>\n

Under the subheading \u201cGSL Finds Paramilitaries Useful\u201d the Ambassador wrote \u201cThe GSL sees several advantages in allowing paramilitary groups to operate in the country. Paramilitary groups in the North and East help the GSL fight the LTTE and compete with the LTTE for public support and new recruits. These groups also enhance security in Colombo by kidnapping and sometimes killing those suspected of working with the LTTE. Frequent abductions by paramilitaries keep critics of the GSL fearful and quiet. Ultimately, the GSL’s objective is to turn Karuna and EPDP leader Douglas Devananda into pro-GSL political leaders in the East and North, respectively. The government hopes this will ensure long term control over these areas even if some form of devolution is instituted.\u201d<\/p>\n

“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. Karuna Group Becomes Pre-eminent Paramilitary” Blake further wrote.<\/p>\n

Related news; WkiLeaks: Gota Authorized Paramilitary Operations \u2013 Sri\u00a0Ranga<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Below we give the relevant part of the cable;<\/p>\n

VZCZCXRO9322\r\nOO RUEHBI RUEHLMC\r\nDE RUEHLM #0728\/01 1380922\r\nZNY SSSSS ZZH\r\nO 180922Z MAY 07\r\nFM AMEMBASSY COLOMBO\r\nTO RUEHC\/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 6072\r\nINFO RUEHRL\/AMEMBASSY BERLIN PRIORITY 0407\r\nRUEHKA\/AMEMBASSY DHAKA PRIORITY 0115\r\nRUEHIL\/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD PRIORITY 7096\r\nRUEHKT\/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU PRIORITY 5189\r\nRUEHLO\/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 3756\r\nRUEHNE\/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI PRIORITY 0973\r\nRUEHNY\/AMEMBASSY OSLO PRIORITY 3828\r\nRUEHOT\/AMEMBASSY OTTAWA PRIORITY 1087\r\nRUEHKO\/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY 2907\r\nRUEHCG\/AMCONSUL CHENNAI PRIORITY 7682\r\nRUEHBI\/AMCONSUL MUMBAI PRIORITY 5363\r\nRUEHON\/AMCONSUL TORONTO PRIORITY 0209\r\nRUEKJCS\/SECDEF WASHDC PRIORITY\r\nRUEKJCS\/JOINT STAFF WASHDC PRIORITY\r\nRUEHLMC\/MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORPORATION PRIORITY\r\nRHEFDIA\/DIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY\r\nRUEHGV\/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 2046\r\nRHEHAAA\/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY\r\nRHHMUNA\/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI PRIORITY\r\nRUEHBS\/USEU BRUSSELS PRIORITY<\/pre>\n
Friday, 18 May 2007, 09:22
\nS E C R E T SECTION 01 OF 06 COLOMBO 000728
\nSIPDIS
\nSIPDIS
\nDEPARTMENT FOR SCA\/INS
\nMCC FOR S GROFF, D TETER, D NASSIRY AND E BURKE
\nEO 12958 DECL: 05\/18\/2017
\nTAGS PGOV, PREL, PTER, PHUM, MOPS, CE
\nSUBJECT: SRI LANKA: GSL COMPLICITY IN PARAMILITARY
\nFACTIONS\u2019 HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES
\nREF: 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
\nClassified By: Ambassador Robert O. Blake, Jr., for reasons 1.4(b, d)
\n\u00b6<\/a>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\u2019s 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 \u201cOne-Man Commission\u201d to investigate reported disappearances (ref C). However, these efforts so far appear aimed more at improving Sri Lanka\u2019s 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\u2019s 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\u2019s involvement with paramilitary groups. END SUMMARY.<\/p>\n
GSL Finds Paramilitaries Useful
\n——————————-
\n\u00b6<\/a>2. (S) The GSL sees several advantages in allowing paramilitary groups to operate in the country. Paramilitary groups in the North and East help the GSL fight the LTTE and compete with the LTTE for public support and new recruits. These groups also enhance security in Colombo by kidnapping and sometimes killing those suspected of working with the LTTE. Frequent abductions by paramilitaries keep critics of the GSL fearful and quiet. Ultimately, the GSL\u2019s objective is to turn Karuna and EPDP leader Douglas Devananda into pro-GSL political leaders in the East and North, respectively. The government hopes this will ensure long term control over these areas even if some form of devolution is instituted.<\/p>\n
\u00b63. <\/a> (S) In the meantime, these paramilitary groups give the GSL a measure of deniability. Jaffna Government Agent K. Ganesh told us that some military commanders in Jaffna, including Major General Chandrasiri, want to clamp down on paramilitaries but have orders from Defense Secretary Gothabaya Rajapaksa to not interfere with the paramilitaries on the grounds that they are doing “work” that the military cannot do because of international scrutiny. On December 7, 2006, Chandrasiri confided to Ambassador Blake in Jaffna that the Defense Ministry had instructed him not to interfere with “military intelligence” operations (ref E). COLOMBO 00000728 002 OF 006<\/p>\n
\u00b64. <\/a> (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.<\/p>\n
Karuna Group Becomes Pre-eminent Paramilitary<\/span><\/p>\n
\u00b65. <\/a> (S) The Karuna faction’s formal name is Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP), which means “Liberation Tigers of the Tamil People” in Tamil. This name is an attempt to sap legitimacy from the LTTE by taking the “Liberation Tigers” part of their name. In less than one year since Karuna returned to Sri Lanka, the TMVP has become the most powerful paramilitary organization in the country. It began in 2004 when Karuna broke away from the LTTE, taking about 4,000 Tiger cadres with him (ref H). After the LTTE struck back, inflicting serious losses, then-President Chandrika Kumaratunga helped Karuna escape to the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, where he remained until July 2006. He remained active in managing his cadres even while living abroad. Since returning to Sri Lanka, Karuna has used strong-arm tactics to establish a powerful paramilitary group that operates under government protection (ref D).<\/p>\n
BLAKE<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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