WikiLeaks: By Improving SL Navy’s Ability, US Will Help To Bring Terrorist LTTE To Heel: Embassy Colombo

March 1, 2015

“As extensive embassy reporting has discussed, the political, economic, military and security environment in Sri Lanka has undergone dramatic changes since the 5 december 2001 parliamentary elections which brought a new government to power. The GSL and Tamil Tigers (LTTE) have signed a ceasefire Memorandum of Understanding as a prelude to talks (o/a may 27) aimed at ending nearly two decades of brutal civil war. Feelings of optimism and hope have swept over this troubled island. The fighting has stopped, and the many and onerous security procedures that affected every day life have dissipated: long closed roads have reopened; police and military checkpoints have shut down; and draconian restrictions on fishing and other maritime activities have begun to disappear.” the US Embassy Colombo informed Washington.

Ashley Wills

The Colombo Telegraph found the related leaked cable from the WikiLeaks database. The cable discusses Sri Lankan Navy’s strengths and weaknesses. The “Confidential” cable written on February 05, 2003 and signed by the US Ambassador to Colombo E. Ashley Wills.

The ambassador wrote; As our reporting also has stressed, however, the GLS wants to enter this delicate period with ‘a warm heart, but a cool head.’ the GSL’s foe is one of the world’s most ruthless and sophisticated terrorist organizations. As our public statements and other information have made clear, we continue to see ltte efforts at resupply and other activities that seem to indicate, at a minimum, a lack of total reliance on peace talks as a means to resolve the dispute that has torn apart Sri Lanka.

Under the sub heading “The Sri Lankan Navy Needs Help” the ambassador wrote; “It has repeatedly shown a willingness to close with the ltte’s ocean-going force, the sea tigers. The navy’s will to fight, however, has exceeded their ability to fight effectively. The sea tigers have inflicted serious casualties on the navy, including through the use of devastating suicide craft. Open press in Sri Lanka points to past attacks by LTTE suicide boats as the inspriration for the attack on the uss cole. Tiger maritime supply arguably remains one of, if not the most, serious challenges faced by the gsl in brining to a successful conclusion the recently launched peace process. An assessment by a team form the us pacific command headquarters in september and october of 2002 indicated that maritime interdiction of the ltte’s resupply capability was one of the most important factors needing to be addressed by the governemtn of Sri Lanka. The navy simply cannot do the job with its current fleet — and the tigers know it and simply do not take the navy very seriously. Beefing up the ability to interdict and deter tiger supplies would make a major contribution to the peace talks, showing the LTTE that talking is better than fighting, and, if the talks break down and conflict resumes, the navy could put a serious dent in terrorist supply efforts. To those ends, the country team strongly supports the provision of a 210′ eda cutter to the sl navy.”

“Providing the Sri Lanka navy with vessels of the medium endurance cutter class size supports embassy Colombo’s MPP. Regional security and counter-terrorism are two fundamental areas of the mission’s plan for Sri Lanka. By improving the navy’s ability to interdict LTTE supplies, the USG will help to bring this terrorist organization to heel.” the ambassador said.

Under the subheading “Human Rights” ambassador Wills wrote; “The Sri Lanka military has had an improving Human Rights record while the LTTE has a consistently poor record. Assisting the GSL to bring and keep the LTTE at the negotiation table and in the political process can only help improve the human rights record of both sides. The Sri Lanka navy’s sea-going units have a solid HR record with few verifiable incidents in the last three years.”

Placing a comments he said; “Provision of the cutter fully supports our 2003 MPP and the overall US objectives of combatting terrorism and illict traffic in drugs and humans. It further increases US influence with the SL military and rewards a frankly pro-US government that seeks increasingly close US-SL mil-to-mil relations.”

Read the cable below for further details;