Karuna Amman

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).

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.

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.

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. 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.

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

File:Karuna meeting 6.jpg

Karuna seated at the meeting venue in his left Supreme Commander Pillaiyan and in his right Senior Commander Jeyam.

File:Karunameeting1.jpg

TMVP cadres seen seated and listening to an address by Karuna

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

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.

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." [1].

RSF (Reporters Without Borders), has accused him of muzzling local journalists by forming death squads to silence those who oppose his point of view.

His armed group has been accused by human rights groups in the increasing involuntary disappearances of civilians in the Jaffna peninsula. They have been accused of taking part in death squad activity against civilians. They are also accused of child soldier recruitment by UNICEF, Human Rights Watch, and others. Additionally, a report by the United States Department of State claims that Karuna's group "was believed also to have killed 20 civilians."

Karuna has categorically denied these allegations in interviews claiming the LTTE is trying to discredit his party.

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. It is thought that he was found in possession of a forged passport and firearms. 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.

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. He was transferred to an immigration detention centre in May 2008.

See also

• Military use of children in Sri Lanka

External links

• Official Party Website
• Voice of East
• BBC interview with Karuna 4 March 2007
• Interview with Karuna, Asian Tribune
• BBC profile of Colonel Karuna, BBC News, March 5, 2004. Retrieved April 6, 2007
• "US slams police, Karuna, LTTE", BBC News, March 10, 2006. Retrieved April 6, 2007