Wiki Leaks: US Commended Gota For Conducting A Successful Battle With Low Civilian Causalities

¶2.  (C) Ambassador, DATT and PolMilOff met Government of Sri Lanka (GSL) Defense Secretary (and brother to the President) 

Gothabaya Rajapaksa on February 5.  Rajapaksa offered his interpretation of the government security forces' January victory in Vakarai and explained the GSL's current military 

strategy.   Ambassador commended the Secretary for conducting a successful battle with such low civilian causalities, after the initial shelling incident.  Gotabaya claimed that no civilians had been killed and only 40 soldiers had been killed in action in the two and a half month fight for Vakarai.  He emphasized that the military had been able to minimize civilian and troop causalities by surrounding Vakarai with small Special Forces teams rather than large battalions and moving without a "logistical tail" open to Tiger (LTTE) ambush. 

 US Ambassador to Colombo Robert O. Blake on February 05, 2007.

Wiki Leaks: US Commended Gota For Conducting A Successful Battle With Low Civilian Causalities

January 7, 2014 | Colombo Telegraph

“Defense Secretary Gothabaya Rajapaksa offered his interpretation of the government security forces’ January victory in Vakarai to Ambassador and DATT on February 5 and explained the government’s current military strategy. Gothabaya noted that the security forces encountered predominantly younger, less
committed Tiger cadres in Vakarai. The GSL’s redevelopment efforts in the east, he theorized, would head off any re-infiltration by the Tigers and allow the security forces to “devote their full forces” elsewhere. In particular, the military would seek to neutralize the LTTE’s navy, the “Sea Tigers.” Gothabaya was silent on
whether the Army would attempt a major offensive in the North.” the US Embassy Colombo informed Washington.

The Colombo Telegraph found the related leaked cable from the WikiLeaks database. The classified diplomatic cable details a meeting the US ambassador had with Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The “Confidential” is cable signed by the US Ambassador to Colombo Robert O. Blake on February 05, 2007.

The ambassador wrote; “Ambassador, DATT and PolMilOff met Government of Sri Lanka (GSL) Defense Secretary (and brother to the President) Gothabaya Rajapaksa on February 5. Rajapaksa offered his interpretation of the government security forces’ January victory in Vakarai and explained the GSL’s current
military strategy. Ambassador commended the Secretary for conducting a successful battle with such low civilian causalities, after the initial shelling incident. Gotabaya claimed that no civilians had been killed and only 40 soldiers had been killed in action in the two and a half month fight for Vakarai. He emphasized that
the military had been able to minimize civilian and troop causalities by surrounding Vakarai with small Special Forces teams rather than large battalions and moving without a “logistical tail” open to Tiger (LTTE) ambush.”

              Robert Blake 

“According to the Defense Secretary, the security forces encountered predominantly younger Tiger cadres in Vakarai, at least 40 percent under the age of 18, and noticeably less well-trained. These cadres also appeared to be less committed to fighting for the LTTE, he said, indicating why they were willing to flee in the end. Many more of these cadres underwent forced recruitment than in previous years, claimed Gothabaya: “We can see that the lower-ranked cadres have not come out willingly. They have little motivation to fight. They aren’t committed, and in fact try to escape. We have intelligence that elsewhere in Batticaloa district LTTE cadres are waiting for a battle in which they can surrender.” The security forces captured a number of Tiger cadres in Vakarai. On the other hand, very few made use of the cyanide capsule all wear around their necks for that eventuality, according to the Secretary.” he further wrote.

Placing a comment Blake wrote; “Gothabaya assured us that the President remains committed to the peace process “without delay, and without respect to the military.” We understand that the security forces will try to consolidate the GSL’s hold on the east, and that the military will also pursue Sea Tiger and artillery targets in the east and in the Tiger’s northern Vanni stronghold. Gothabaya was silent on whether the Army would attempt a full-scale invasion of the north, as earlier GSL statements had suggested. The Defense Secretary appears to have realized, however, that winning Tamil hearts and minds will be crucial to the  GSL’s consolidation of its new hold on the east.”

Read the cable below for further details;

VZCZCXRO7914
OO RUEHBI RUEHLMC
DE RUEHLM #0214/01 0361312
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
O 051312Z FEB 07
FM AMEMBASSY COLOMBO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 5314
INFO RUEHRL/AMEMBASSY BERLIN PRIORITY 0174
RUEHKA/AMEMBASSY DHAKA PRIORITY 9859
RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD PRIORITY 6803
RUEHKT/AMEMBASSY KATHMANDU PRIORITY 4871
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON PRIORITY 3501
RUEHNE/AMEMBASSY NEW DELHI PRIORITY 0579
RUEHNY/AMEMBASSY OSLO PRIORITY 3593
RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO PRIORITY 2670
RUEHCG/AMCONSUL CHENNAI PRIORITY 7372
RUEHBI/AMCONSUL MUMBAI PRIORITY 5103
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA PRIORITY 1770
RHHMUNA/HQ USPACOM HONOLULU HI PRIORITY
RHEFDIA/DIA WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC PRIORITY
RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS PRIORITY
RUEHLMC/MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORPORATION PRIORITY
C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 COLOMBO 000214

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

DEPARTMENT FOR SCA/INS, MCC FOR S GROFF, D NASSIRY, E BURKE
AND F REID

E.O. 12958: DECL: 02/05/2017
TAGS: PGOV PREL PTER PHUM MOPS CE
SUBJECT: SRI LANKA: DEFENSE SECRETARY RECKONS TIGER GROUND
FORCES WEAKENED, BUT SEA TIGERS STILL FIERCE

REF: A. COLOMBO 189
     ¶B. COLOMBO 158

Classified By: Ambassador Robert O. Blake, Jr., for reasons 1.4 (b,d). 

¶1.  (C) Summary:  Defense Secretary Gothabaya Rajapaksa 

offered his interpretation of the government security forces' 

January victory in Vakarai to Ambassador and DATT on February 

5 and explained the government's current military strategy. 

Gothabaya noted that the security forces encountered 

predominantly younger, less committed Tiger cadres in 

Vakarai.  The GSL's redevelopment efforts in the east, he 

theorized, would head off any re-infiltration by the Tigers 

and allow the security forces to "devote their full forces" 

elsewhere.  In particular, the military would seek to 

neutralize the LTTE's navy, the "Sea Tigers."  Gothabaya was 

silent on whether the Army would attempt a major offensive in 

the North.  End summary. 

Cadres Forego Cyanide 

-------------------- 

¶2.  (C) Ambassador, DATT and PolMilOff met Government of Sri 

Lanka (GSL) Defense Secretary (and brother to the President) 

Gothabaya Rajapaksa on February 5.  Rajapaksa offered his 

interpretation of the government security forces' January 

victory in Vakarai and explained the GSL's current military 

strategy.   Ambassador commended the Secretary for conducting 

a successful battle with such low civilian causalities, after 

the initial shelling incident.  Gotabaya claimed that no 

civilians had been killed and only 40 soldiers had been 

killed in action in the two and a half month fight for 

Vakarai.  He emphasized that the military had been able to 

minimize civilian and troop causalities by surrounding 

Vakarai with small Special Forces teams rather than large 

battalions and moving without a "logistical tail" open to 

Tiger (LTTE) ambush. 

¶3.  (C) According to the Defense Secretary, the security 

forces encountered predominantly younger Tiger cadres in 

Vakarai, at least 40 percent under the age of 18, and 

noticeably less well-trained.  These cadres also appeared to 

be less committed to fighting for the LTTE, he said, 

indicating why they were willing to flee in the end.  Many 

more of these cadres underwent forced recruitment than in 

previous years, claimed Gothabaya: "We can see that the 

lower-ranked cadres have not come out willingly.   They have 

little motivation to fight.  They aren't committed, and in 

fact try to escape.  We have intelligence that elsewhere in 

Batticaloa district LTTE cadres are waiting for a battle in 

which they can surrender."  The security forces captured a 

number of Tiger cadres in Vakarai.  On the other hand, very 

few made use of the cyanide capsule all wear around their 

necks for that eventuality, according to the Secretary. 

Resettlement and Development 

---------------------------- 

¶4.  (C) As the conflict has dragged on, noted the Defense 

Secretary, "families have not been willing to contribute 

SIPDIS 

their children.  Their motivating factor was an independent 

state.  They thought they didn't get enough from Sinhalese 

governments.  Now we are making an effort to provide basic 

requirements -- electricity, education, roads, houses -- and 

the people see the difference."  Ambassador revised reports 

that the GSL planned to resettle retired Sinhalese military 

officers in Tamil areas.  Gothabaya denied this and other 

speculation by the pro-LTTE Tamil National Alliance (TNA) and 

others that the GSL is pursuing a "Sinhalization" program in 

the east, adding that the Sinhalese population in Trincomalee 

district has decreased from 31 percent to 21 percent since 

¶1981.  Presidential Advisor (and brother) Basil Rajapaska was 

COLOMBO 00000214  002 OF 002 

overseeing the Resettlement Ministry's early work to resettle 

Tamil civilians in Vakarai, Gothabaya said, where the GSL 

hoped to provide electricity within ten days. 

¶5.  (C) Gothabaya said the GSL would use "minimum police 

force" to maintain GSL control of Vakarai and other 

"liberated" areas in the east, such as Sampur, "so we can 

concentrate our full forces on other things."  He affirmed 

that the GSL would implement development projects soon to 

minimize the threat of re-infiltration by the LTTE.  "There 

must be a reaction from normal civilians to reject the LTTE," 

he said, adding that the International Labor Organization 

(ILO) is considering a livelihoods project in Vakarai, while 

the French government may be willing to rebuild the A15 

highway. 

Sea Tigers Strong 

----------------- 

¶6.  (C) While the LTTE's ground forces are clearly weaker 

following the security forces' victories in the east, 

Gothabaya said, the LTTE's navy, the "Sea Tigers," remain 

strong.  The Sea Tiger attack on a GSL food convoy at Point 

Pedro, Jaffna in January emboldened the LTTE by their sinking 

of two dvora "fast boats" and made the Sri Lankan Navy timid, 

he thought.  "The Navy is no longer as aggressive.  It wants 

to protect its assets, so the Sea Tigers have more leeway. 

We must neutralize the Sea Tigers.  We must give the Navy 

some help by finding and destroying more Sea Tiger bases and 

assets."   In the Defense Secretary's view, the January 27 

Sea Tiger attack attempt on Colombo's port targeted a naval 

ship donated by India, rather than commercial vessels. 

Nevertheless, the LTTE would continue to seek soft targets in 

Colombo and the south as "part of their demoralization plan." 

Overall Strategy 

---------------- 

¶7.  (C) Comment:  Gothabaya assured us that the President 

remains committed to the peace process "without delay, and 

without respect to the military."  We understand that the 

security forces will try to consolidate the GSL's hold on the 

east, and that the military will also pursue Sea Tiger and 

artillery targets in the east and in the Tiger's northern 

Vanni stronghold.  Gothabaya was silent on whether the Army 

would attempt a full-scale invasion of the north, as earlier 

GSL statements had suggested.  The Defense Secretary appears 

to have realized, however, that winning Tamil hearts and 

minds will be crucial to the GSL's consolidation of its new 

hold on the east. 

BLAKE