The Hindu : Financial issues 'precipitated' crisis in LTTE

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Mar 14, 2004

International

International

Financial issues 'precipitated' crisis in LTTE

By V.S. Sambandan

COLOMBO, MARCH 13. An erstwhile confidant of V. Muralitharan, the expelled regional special commander of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), has cited "financial irregularities'' as the reason that `precipitated' the crisis in the organisation.

S. Karikalan, a former eastern political wing leader of the LTTE, reportedly told an Australian radio station that Mr. Muralitharan (a.k.a. `Col.' Karuna) "took a unilateral decision to split'' as he "feared disciplinary action'' by the LTTE leadership.

According to a report in the TamilNet news site, the LTTE leadership had `summoned' `Col.' Karuna to the Vanni — where LTTE's headquarters is located — "after discovering financial irregularities and receiving allegations of questionable conduct''.

Mr. Karikalan, a former eastern LTTE political wing leader, was quoted as saying that Mr. Muralitharan, "had earned the admiration of the Tamil people and the LTTE leader'', V. Prabakaran, but had "gradually drifted into taking actions in his self-interest, that finally brought him into direct conflict with the LTTE leadership''.

On March 3, Mr. Muralitharan said he was parting ways with the organisation, where he was the longest-serving regional commander, citing `discrimination' by the "northern leadership'' against the "eastern cadres".

On March 6, the LTTE central committee expelled `Col.' Karuna from the group and said he had acted `treasonously'.

The LTTE had also denied charges of discrimination. After `Col.' Karuna broke ranks from the LTTE, he reinstated Mr. Karikalan as the eastern political wing leader.

However, Mr. Karikalan subsequently left Mr. Muralitharan and joined the northern Vanni leadership. According to Mr. Karikalan, "only recently'' did `Col.' Karuna start complaining of "step-motherly treatment'' that the two districts under his control — Batticaloa and Amparai in eastern Sri Lanka — were receiving.

"He seemed to have already taken a decision to split when we realised that `Col.' Karuna was taking actions that are inimical to the movement'', Mr. Karikalan was quoted as saying. Mr. Karikalan also said that the expelled special commander had taken "control of finances'' and had "appointed people loyal to him in key military positions''.

In addition to "financial irregularities'', `Col.' Karuna was "further embarrassed by public knowledge of allegations related to his improper conduct'', Mr. Karikalan said.

The LTTE's leader, Mr. V. Prabakaran, had summoned Mr. Muralitharan when the leadership became "aware of these violations'', but "fearing reprimand and possible disciplinary action'', he refused to go, Mr. Karikalan said.

Moreover, Mr. Karikalan also charged that "through his foreign visits'', Mr. Muralitharan "had the opportunity to come into contact with foreign forces keen on subverting the Tamil National struggle'' .

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