The Hindu : LTTE removes rebel commander

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Mar 07, 2004

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LTTE removes rebel commander

By V.S. Sambandan

The expelled leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, Vinayagamoorthi Muralitharan, also known as `Col.' Karuna.

KILINOCHCHI, MARCH 6. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam today "discharged" the defiant eastern military commander, V. Muralitharan (a.k.a. `Col.' Karuna), accusing him of "acting traitorously" against the "Tamil people" at the "instigation of some malicious elements."

Denying all charges made by Mr. Muralitharan, former special commander, Batticaloa-Amparai, against the leadership, the LTTE central committee said he had "planned to secede himself from the liberation organisation." The Tigers downplayed what is considered the biggest challenge to its leadership after an internal rift was made public by Mr. Muralitharan three days ago. "It is a problem concerning a single individual," the LTTE's political wing leader, S.P. Tamilchelvan, said after reading out the decision of the central committee.

Asked who would replace `Col.' Karuna, in the negotiating team in the currently-stalled talks, Mr. Tamilchelvan said the decision would be taken by the leadership. He said he was "satisfied" with the expulsion of `Col.' Karuna, the only regional leader to remain unchanged in his position for 17 years, "as soon as the leadership was convinced of his betrayal." The expulsion would affect neither the peace process nor the military strength of the rebels.

Ramesh, new commander

The "discharged" leader was replaced by his unranked former deputy, Ramesh, who was named as the new special commander. Two other eastern second-rung leaders, Ram and Kousalyan, were appointed deputy commander and political head respectively of the Batticaloa-Amparai district.

`Col.' Karuna was among the most trusted lieutenants of Mr. Prabakaran. Among the successful military strategies the two are said to have devised together, the most telling was the victory over the Sri Lankan Army at the Elephant Pass military garrison, which was preceded by months of battlefield deceptions that lulled the Army into a sense of complacency. Mr. Murliatharan was also one of the seven `Colonels' — the highest military rank in the 18,000-strong fighting force.

The number of fighters under `Col.' Karuna's command is not known, but estimates place them between 6,000 and 8,000 well-trained troops, including the most-feared `Jayanthan Brigade,' which overran the Elephant Pass. In a display of support for the LTTE's "national leadership" and the `isolation' of Mr. Muralitharan, all his former military, political and intelligence deputies — including the head of the `Jayanthan Brigade' — were present at the hurriedly-convened press conference by Mr. Tamilchelvan to announce the central committee's decision.

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