Colonel Karuna

Colonel Karuna Amman is the "nom de guerre" of Vinayagamoorthi Muralitharan (born 1966), the President of the TMVP (TamilEela Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal), a breakaway faction of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). He has been elected an Sri Lankan Member of Parliament supported by the ruling party of Mahinda Rajapakse. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7657668.stm Renegade sworn in as Sri Lanka MP BBC ] ]

Biography

Karuna was born in Kiran, a village in the Batticaloa district in eastern Sri Lanka. He joined the LTTE in 1983 and became a top commander in the district he represented. He was once even a bodyguard to LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran. In 2003 he was elevated to the rank of special commander for the eastern Batticoloa-Amparai districts by Prabhakaran.Fact|date=April 2007

Break with LTTE

In March 2004, Karuna broke away from the mainstream LTTE after he alleged they were ignoring the interests of the eastern Tamil people. The LTTE alleges that the real reason he broke way was because the LTTE's intelligence wing was closing in on him for corruption and violating the LTTE code of conducts. The Tigers reacted by launching attacks against Karuna's forces, and heavy clashes ensued. The LTTE claimed they fully evicted his forces from the district he controlled. [cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7393112.stm|title=Questions over renegade Tamil Tiger|publisher=BBC News|date=9 May 2008]

However, the Karuna Faction, as it has now been dubbed, continues to maintain a stronghold in the southeast of Sri Lanka with a force estimated to number a few hundred." [http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2006/09/06/asia/AS_GEN_Sri_Lanka.php Sri Lanka's Tamil rebels warn of retaliation against Sinhalese] ", Associated Press, September 6, 2006] They continue to regularly attack the LTTE.

Karuna has alleged that Prabhakaran intentionally dragged out peace talks so that the rebels could use the cessation in hostilities to re-arm for further combat.Buerk, Roland. " [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6524869.stm A date with a renegade rebel Tiger] ", BBC News, April 4, 2007. Retrieved May 4, 2007]

He has said that the LTTE has lost 70% of its fighting capacity due to his TMVP group separating from the LTTE.

Association with the Sri Lankan Government

Karuna's group serves as a prominent focal point for the LTTE's anger toward the Sri Lankan government, which is accused of arming, sheltering and supporting the group.

Return to War: Human Rights Under Siege, a report on the human rights abuses of the current Sri Lankan government accuses Colonel Karuna of human rights violations with the aide of the Sri Lankan government.

"The Sri Lankan government has failed to take action against the abusive Karuna group, a Tamil armed group under the leadership of V. Muralitharan that split from the LTTE in 2004 and now cooperates with Sri Lankan security forces in their common fight against the LTTE. With the LTTE’s loss of territories in the east, the Karuna group has exerted de facto authority in the districts of Ampara, Trincomalee, and Batticaloa. The group also expanded its operations in the northern Vavuniya district, engaging in extortion and abductions." [(http://hrw.org/reports/2007/srilanka0807/1.htm Return to War: Human Rights Under Siege]

Publicity

In March 2007, Colonel Karuna accompanied by Supreme Commander Pillaiyan, Senior Commander Jeyam and other TVMP officials spent two days at a TMVP base in the east. A number of his statements there were widely reported" [http://www.asiantribune.com/index.php?q=node/4769 "Sri Lanka is our Motherland. We respect the constitution, the President and the government" -- Col Karuna] ", "Asian Tribune", March 4, 2007. Retrieved April 5, 2007] " [http://www.independentsl.com/cgi-bin/newsscript1.cgi?record=1408 Karuna's election Campaigne takes off] ", [http://www.independentsl.com www.independentsl.com] , Retrieved April 5, 2007]

At the same time the TMVP announced that it was setting up a "special attack force" and a "spy attack force". Internal cohesion within the TMVP has been a problem, particularly disagreements between Pillaiyan and Karuna over finance. In May-June, a number of cadres were killed in factional clashes, most notably an intelligence operative named Sinthujan. Another TMVP cadre named Seelan was also badly beaten but escaped. Pillaiyan was reportedly also targeted but escaped to Trincomalee with about 200 supporters although he has since been reconcilled to Karuna. [" [http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus/001200703041326.htm Rebel Tiger leader visits former bastion] ", The Hindu News Update Service, March 4, 2007, Retrieved April 5, 2007]

Allegations of human rights violations

Colonel Karuna was the LTTE head of the Eastern province in 1990, when between 400 to 600 unarmed police officers who surrendered to the group were subsequently massacred.

When Colonel Karuna was part of the LTTE, he was also implicated in the massacre of Muslims, including the Kattankudy and Erovar massacres in the eastern province. According to Sri Lankan military intelligence sources, "Karuna was not in the East province but in the Wanni during the time of the attacks on Kattankudy and Eravur Muslims. He was however intercepted giving orders to his cadres in the East in relation to various activities." [http://www.lines-magazine.org/Art_Aug04/BazeerEnglish.htm] .

RSF (Reporters Without Borders), has accused him of muzzling local journalists by forming death squads to silence those who oppose his point of view. [ [http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=10956 Nine recommendations for improving the state of press freedom, Reporters Without Borders] (July 19 2004)]

His armed group has been accused by human rights groups in the increasing involuntary disappearances of civilians in the Jaffna peninsula. [Denyer, Simon. " [http://www.boston.com/news/world/asia/articles/2006/09/14/disappearances_on_rise_in_sri_lankas_dirty_war/ "Disappearances" on rise in Sri Lanka's dirty war] ". Reuters, September 14, 2006. Retrieved April 5, 2007] [University Teachers for Human Rights (Jaffna), " [http://www.uthr.org/bulletins/bul41.htm The Wider Implications of the Human Rights and Humanitarian Crisis in Jaffna] ", Information Bulletin No. 41, September 14, 2006. Retrieved April 5, 2007] They have been accused of taking part in death squad activity against civilians. [University Teachers for Human Rights (Jaffna), " [http://www.uthr.org/SpecialReports/spreport21.pdf When Indignation is Past and the Dust Settles] ", Special Report No. 21, May 15, 2006. Retrieved April 5, 2007] They are also accused of child soldier recruitment by UNICEF, Human Rights Watch, and others. [UNICEF, [http://www.unicef.org/srilanka/media_2514.htm Statement on Sri Lanka from the UN Special Adviser on Children and Armed Conflict] , November 13, 2006. Retrieved April 6, 2007] [Citation | title =Complicit in Crime: State Collusion in Abductions and Child Recruitment by the Karuna Group | journal =Human Rights Watch | volume =19 | issue =1(C) | date =January 2007 | year =2007 | url =http://www.hrw.org/reports/2007/srilanka0107/] [Ross, James. " [http://www.fpif.org/fpiftxt/3512 When Ceasefire Fails] ", Foreign Policy in Focus, September 15, 2006. Retrieved April 6, 2007] Additionally, a report by the United States Department of State claims that Karuna's group "was believed also to have killed 20 civilians." [U.S. Department of State, [http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2005/61711.htm 2005 Human Rights Report] , March 8, 2006]

Karuna has categorically denied these allegations in interviews claiming the LTTE is trying to discredit his party. [" [http://www.asiantribune.com/index.php?q=node/3418 Solheim in the pay of Tigers: his house in Norway bought with Tiger money - Col. Karuna] ", "Asian Tribune", November 27, 2006. Retrieved April 6, 2007]

Imprisonment in the United Kingdom

Karuna was arrested in London on November 2 2007 following a joint operation between the Metropolitan Police and the Border and Immigration Agency. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7076248.stm UK detains breakaway Tamil leader, BBC News, 2 November 2007] ] It is thought that he was found in possession of a forged passport and firearms. [ [http://www.ptinews.com/pti%5Cptisite.nsf/0/AF9F3DBF8F290A8465257387006BD6BA?OpenDocument Karuna arrested] ] [ [http://www.lankaenews.com/English/news.php?id=4853&PHPSESSID=3f02801fed53f09a8e76f7f123fd4637 Karuna arrested in London] ] According to the "Sunday Times", a weekly English newspaper published in Sri Lanka, the British authorities have claimed that they have enough evidence to show that the Sri Lankan government was complicit in helping Karuna receive diplomatic passport. [ [http://www.sundaytimes.lk/071223/News/news00015.html Britain unimpressed with government explanation on Karuna passport ] ]

Karuna said in court that the government, through Permanent Secretary for Defense Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, had given him the passport. On January 25 2008 he was sentenced to nine months in prison. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7209415.stm "Renegade Tamil rebel jailed in UK"] , BBC News, January 25, 2008.] He was transferred to an immigration detention centre in May 2008. [ [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7392107.stm "UK transfers renegade Tamil Tiger"] , BBC News, May 9, 2008.]

ee also

*Military use of children in Sri Lanka

References

External links

* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/7657668.stm]
* [http://www.tmvp.org/ Official Party Website]
* [http://www.voiceofeast.com/ Voice of East]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/6524869.stm BBC interview with Karuna] 4 March 2007
* [http://www.asiantribune.com/show_news.php?id=10737 Interview with Karuna] , "Asian Tribune"
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3537025.stm BBC profile of Colonel Karuna] , BBC News, March 5, 2004. Retrieved April 6, 2007
*" [http://www.bbc.co.uk/sinhala/news/story/2006/03/060310_us_report.shtml US slams police, Karuna, LTTE] ", BBC News, March 10, 2006. Retrieved April 6, 2007