The Hindu : Karuna `whipping up regionalism'

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Mar 21, 2004

International

International

Karuna `whipping up regionalism'

By V.S. Sambandan

JAFFNA, MARCH 20. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam today continued to downplay its severest crisis, maintaining that the split engineered by its regional military commander, V. Muralitharan (also known as `Col.' Karuna), was "an individual's problem." This would not affect the organisation and would be "brought under control very quickly."

On March 3, the LTTE's longest-serving military commander for two eastern districts, Batticaloa and Amparai, parted ways citing alleged discrimination against the eastern fighters by the outfit's leadership. It subsequently "discharged'' `Col.' Karuna but he has remained defiant and holds effective control over the LTTE-held eastern Sri Lanka. As most of his former deputies, including S. Karikalan, had subsequently shifted to the northern headquarters, `Col.' Karuna has appointed a new set of deputies and functions independently of the central leadership.

The outfit subsequently appointed a new eastern leadership, but it is yet to take ground-level control. Though the exact number of cadres under `Col.' Karuna's command is unclear, between 5,000 and 6,000 are estimated to be now serving under him. The LTTE's political wing leader, S.P. Tamilchelvan, however, said `Col.' Karuna was "heading to the point of isolation'' and that "several hundreds of cadres were deserting him.''

The LTTE leadership, Mr. Tamilchelvan said, wants to handle the situation "very carefully'' and to "bring the situation under control without losses."

Revolts in the outfit have been dealt with firmly in the past, the most high profile being the execution of its deputy leader, Mahathiya, on charges of treason. However, Karuna's revolt differs on several counts. At the ground level, unlike Mahathiya, who was in northern rebel-held Sri Lanka, `Col.' Karuna operates from the east and has had autonomous control over the eastern region.

Disagreeing with `Col.' Karuna's charges of discrimination, Mr. Tamilchelvan said he was "whipping up regionalism'' and "creating an illusion of the east'' to counter the "disciplinary action'' to be taken against him. As the action was "unavoidable'' `Col.' Karuna has "now portrayed this as a big split and has attempted to weaken the liberation movement.'' Mr. Tamilchelvan said.

`Col.' Karuna's admission that the assassination of the former Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi, was the ``gravest mistake'' by the LTTE's intelligence wing, Mr. Tamilchelvan said, ``was out of spite'' and ``to gain international respectability''.

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