Cablegate: Sri Lanka: 2004 Annual Terrorism Report

This record is a partial extract of the original cable. The full text of the original cable is not available.

170606Z Dec 04

UNCLAS COLOMBO 002011

SIPDIS

STATE FOR S/CT AND TTIC

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PTER ASEC CE
SUBJECT: SRI LANKA: 2004 ANNUAL TERRORISM REPORT

REF: STATE 245841

1. Updated information for the Department's 2004 annual
terrorism report follows below.

2. Begin text of submission:

The Sri Lankan government supports the Global War on Terror
and continues to demonstrate a strong commitment to combating
terrorism--a commitment stressed by President Chandrika
Kumaratunga in her September 21 address before the UN General
Assembly. Sri Lanka has acceded to 10 of the 12
international conventions that deal with combating terrorism
and took steps to implement UNSCRs 1333 and 1373. The Sri
Lankan government has cooperated with U.S. efforts to track
terrorist financing, although no assets have been identified
in Sri Lanka to date. The U.S. has worked with the
Government of Sri Lanka to develop anti-money laundering
legislation, develop financial intelligence units and provide
training for relevant government agencies and the banking
sector. Sri Lankan police provided both investigative and
protective assistance in response to Embassy requests. There
have been no cases of international terrorism in Sri Lanka
during the year, and no U.S. citizens have been killed or
injured in acts of terrorism in Sri Lanka during the
reporting period. A ceasefire agreed to in February 2002
between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers
of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), a Foreign Terrorist Organization,
continued to hold despite the lack of progress to resume
negotiations, which were broken off by the LTTE in April
2003. The Sri Lankan Army remains deployed across the
country for counter insurgency purposes. The paramilitary
Special Task Force police (STF) is deployed in the east.

Numerous violations of the ceasefire agreement were
reportedly committed, primarily by the LTTE, during the year.
Fighting broke out between a dissident LTTE faction, led by
Eastern military commander Karuna, and the mainstream LTTE in
March, leading initially to the deaths of at least 120 LTTE
cadres and civilians in the east. Following the split, the
LTTE began a campaign of targeted assassinations against
political opponents, members of the Karuna faction, and
suspected Sri Lankan Army informants, killing at least
another 80 individuals during the year. In addition, at
least 26 members of the mainstream LTTE were killed by
suspected Karuna sympathizers, while 6 members of the Sri
Lankan security forces were killed in isolated incidents by
suspected LTTE militants. On July 7 a suspected LTTE suicide
bomber detonated explosives attached to her while being
questioned inside a Colombo police station, killing herself
and four policemen. Her intended target was believed to be
the Minister of Hindu Affairs, a Tamil politician opposed to
the LTTE.

The Sri Lankan government did not extradite nor request the
extradition of suspected terrorists during the year. The
police and the Directorate of Internal Intelligence have the
authority to investigate terrorism, and the Attorney General
has authority to prosecute terrorism cases. There were no
convictions and one new case filed against suspected
terrorists during the year, although more than 50 cases filed
during previous years remained pending at year's end.
Suspected terrorists can be held 24 hours without being
charged. Provisions permitting longer periods of detention
(up to 18 months) under special anti-terrorist legislation
have not been invoked since the signing of the ceasefire
agreement.

Sri Lanka has designated as terrorist organizations those
groups listed under UN Security Council Resolutions 1267 and
1333 and has prohibited transactions with them. In her
address before the UN General Assembly on September 21,
President Chandrika Kumaratunga urged greater progress on the
draft Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism and
the draft Convention on Nuclear Terrorism.
LUNSTEAD

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