CBK demanded Norway to remove SLMM chief - WikiLeaks cable

Former Sri Lankan President Chandrika Kumaratunga has demanded that Norway remove the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) chief accusing the mission of having lost “objectivity”, according to a cable sent by the United States Embassy in Colombo.

However, the US was not certain how far the President would push the matter as the mission thought that she “has a propensity for making huge issues of matters and then dropping them.”

The cable dated 23 October, 2003 released by WikiLeaks to the Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten said the former President in a letter to the Norway government had demanded the removal of SLMM head Tryggve Teleffsen while the then Sri Lankan government led by Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was engaged in a peace accord with the LTTE.

President Kumaratunga had accused the SLMM of preventing the Navy from intercepting an LTTE arms resupply ship operating in high seas off the northeast coast by tipping the terrorist organisation.  The President had directly accused the SLMM of either deliberately trying to tip off the Tigers via a phone call so that their boat could escape, or acting in a highly negligent manner, the US mission in Colombo reported.

Tellefsen, for his part has admitted to the US Ambassador, that his office had contacted the Tigers and asked them about a report that one of their ships was operating off the northeast coast but denied that his office intended to tip off the Tigers.

The US mission however has felt that it would be best for all concerned if President Kumaratunga backs down soon as disruptions in the SLMM’s operations would be highly problematic for the ceasefire and the peace process.