WikiLeaks: ‘Karuna As A Military Force Is A Myth’ – Gota To US
May 14, 2013
“Mann expressed concern that government forces had given excessive freedom to the LTTE-breakaway “Karuna group,” which was using this freedom destructively. Ambassador noted that reports from NGOs and international organizations in the Batticaloa area indicated that the Karuna cadres were roaming freely and out of control through the cities, intimidating the population and plundering NGO warehouses of whatever they could use for their bases.” the US Embassy Colombo informed Washington.
Gota and Karuna
The US Embassy wrote; “Gothabaya, smiling, said he had recently received a scolding from his brother, the President, on this matter. He told us that once the army gets control of Thoppigala (the area to which the LTTE retreated from Vakarai), it could assure full governmental control in Batticaloa. ‘Why go to the effort to clear an entire area just to hand it over to someone else?’ The plan, he said, was to hand over control of the towns soon to the police, including the Special Task Force, leaving the military to deal with the jungle fighting. In the long run, the GSL would need to recruit Tamil and Muslim policemen who would be subject to local control to improve relations with those communities. Previous attempts to recruit and train Tamil-speaking police had failed because they were premature, he thought.”
The Colombo Telegraph found the related leaked cable from the WikiLeaks database. The cable is classified as “Confidential” and recounts a meeting the US Embassy had with the Secretary to the Ministry of Difence Gotabhaya Rajapaksa. The cable was written on March 14, 2007 by the US Ambassador to Colombo Robert O. Blake.
The ambassador wrote; “Gothabaya said that he would not have a problem with the Karuna group emerging as a purely political force. In fact, he said ‘Karuna as a military force is a myth. It’s a plus for us that he’s no longer with the LTTE ) but all our operations are carried out by the Sri Lankan military. We do not need or want his help.’”
Placing a comment Blake wrote; “Gothabaya’s comments on the relations between the Karuna group and the government confirmed what the president had told us an hour before ) that the government will seek to draw the Karuna group into the political mainstream as a normal political party. Embassy, however, agrees with most observers that the near-term prospects for a return to normalcy in the East in a political landscape dominated by the Karuna group, with its terrorist origins, are remote. Gothabaya’s explanation of the government’s six-month military strategy pointedly did not include an all-out drive to invade the Tiger-held Vanni and finish off the LTTE once and for all, something that few analysts here feel the government forces could do. On the other hand, there are a number of indications that the Sri Lankan defense leadership is in fact bent on pursuing a decisive military victory.”
Read the cable below for further details;
Related posts to this cable;
Myanmar must avert further humanitarian disaster as cyclone approaches
.jpg "More than 140,000 individuals – mostly from the Rohingya Muslim minority – are currently displaced across Rakhine state in Myanmar.")
More than 140,000 individuals – mostly from the Rohingya Muslim minority – are currently displaced across Rakhine state in Myanmar.
© Paula Bronstein/Getty Images
Heavy monsoon rains and a tropical cyclone threaten the lives of tens of thousands of displaced persons in western Myanmar unless the authorities immediately step up efforts to protect them, Amnesty International said.
More than 140,000 individuals – mostly from the Rohingya Muslim minority – are currently displaced across Rakhine state and have been living in temporary shelters since violence erupted between the Buddhist and Muslim communities in Rakhine state in June 2012. Around half are located in low-lying areas prone to flooding.
According to information released by the US military, cyclone “Mahasen” is expected to reach the area by late Wednesday or early Thursday morning.
“The government has been repeatedly warned to make appropriate arrangements for those displaced in Rakhine state. Now thousands of lives are at stake unless targeted action is taken immediately to assist those most at risk,” said Isabelle Arradon, Amnesty International’s Deputy Asia Pacific Director.
Authorities in Myanmar are said to have taken some measures, including identifying evacuation sites and broadcasting announcements in and around the coastal town of Sittwe to warn residents of the impending storm.
However, several of the identified evacuation sites are within already established camps for internally displaced persons or fail to have adequate storm-ready structures, and storm warnings have not been provided to all at-risk displaced communities outside of Rakhine state’s capital city, Sittwe.
The authorities also continue to impose restrictions on freedom of movement for Rohingya in Rakhine state, including those who are confined to ill-equipped camps.
“The government must facilitate assistance without discrimination, including by lifting any restrictions on movement and ensuring humanitarian groups have access to all individuals in need. The freedom for Rohingya to seek higher ground may be their only chance to avoid potential flooding from heavy rains,” said Arradon.
The Rohingya have faced discrimination for decades in Myanmar. They are not recognized as an official ethnic group and continue to be denied equal access to citizenship rights. Their rights to study, work, travel, marry, practise their religion, and receive health services are restricted to various degrees.
Since the violence last June, Buddhist and Muslim communities have been living largely segregated from each other and tensions remain high.
“Considering continuing tensions between Buddhist and Muslim communities in Rakhine, the authorities need to prepare for the possibility of violence during an evacuation situation or in the aftermath of a storm. Addressing the discrimination of the Rohingya community and taking urgent steps towards accountability for last year’s violence will be crucial to prevent future abuses,” said Arradon.
State security forces carried out human rights violations during last year’s violence in Rakhine state and failed to protect people from attacks, including Rohingya.
