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). The Sri Lankan Civil War is an Ongoing conflict on the Island -nation of Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka ( Sinhalese:, இலங்கை known as Ceylon before 1972 is an Island Traditionally the recorded History of Sri Lanka boasts of 25 chronicled centuries Origins of the Sri lankan civil war is highlighted by the continuous political rancor between the majority Sinhalese and the minority Tamils Black July is the commonly used name for the Pogroms starting in Sri Lanka on July 23 1983. Following is a List of riots and pogroms in Sri Lanka 1915 riots The first reported organized riots in Sri Lanka were against the minority Sri Lankan Muslims Major human rights groups such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, as well as the United States Department of State and the European Union, Various Non-governmental organizations and individuals have accused the Sri Lankan government of committing state terrorism Sri Lankan Tamil militant groups rose to prominence in the 1970s to fight the state of Sri Lanka to create an independent Tamil Eelam. "LTTE" redirects here For the Led Zeppelin bootleg see Listen to This Eddie. The following is a list of attacks attributed to the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE commonly known as the Tamil Tigers The expulsion of the Muslims from the Northern province was an act of Ethnic cleansing carried out by the Tamil militant Liberation Tigers of Tamil Percy Mahinda Rajapaksa (commonly known as Mahinda Rajapaksa, Sinhala මහින්ද රාජපක්ෂ; maˈhində ˈraːjəˌpakʂə born November Velupillai Prabhakaran (வேலுப்பிள்ளை பிரபாகரன் born November 26, 1954) also known informally as Thambi (தம்பி Colonel Karuna Amman is the Nom de guerre of Vinayagamoorthi Muralitharan (born 1966 the President of the TMVP ( TamilEela Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal Lieutenant Colonel (Ret Nandasena Gotabhaya Rajapaksa RWP, RSP, GR is the current Permanent Lt Gen Sarath Fonseka RWP, RSP, VSV, USP, rcds psc, SLSR is a Sri Lankan Army officer who has served throughout Operation Poomalai or Eagle Mission 4 was the codename assigned to a mission undertaken by the Indian Air Force to airdrop supplies over the besieged town of Sri Lankan Civil War See also Sri Lankan Civil War Sri Lanka, from the early part of the 1980s was facing an increasingly violent ethnic strife Indian Peace Keeping Force ( IPKF; Hindi: भारतीय शान्ति सेना was the Indian military contingent performing a Peacekeeping Rajiv Gandhi राजीव गांधी (raːdʒiːv gaːnd̪ʰiː born in Bombay, (20 August 1944 – 21 May 1991 the elder son of Indira and Feroze Research and Analysis Wing ( RAW or R&AW) is India 's external Intelligence agency. The Military of Sri Lanka consists of Three Branches which are the Army, Navy, Air Force which comes under the Ministry of Defence. Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP ( தமிழ் மக்கள் விடுதலைப்புலிகள், Tamil Peoples Liberation Tigers) also The Eelam People's Democratic Party is a Political party and a Paramilitary organization in Sri Lanka. Since the onset of the Sri Lankan Civil War in 1983 militant and paramilitary groups have assassinated many Public figures on suspicion of being sympathizers or informants Military use of children in Sri Lanka has been an internationally recognized problem since the inception of the Sri Lankan civil war in 1983. A pseudonym is a fictitious alternative to a person's legal name (see Alias) Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP ( தமிழ் மக்கள் விடுதலைப்புலிகள், Tamil Peoples Liberation Tigers) also "LTTE" redirects here For the Led Zeppelin bootleg see Listen to This Eddie. The split from the LTTE was organized by Karuna in March 2004.

Biography

Karuna was born in Kiran, a village in the Batticaloa district in eastern Sri Lanka. Batticaloa (மட்டக்களப்பு in Tamil මඩකළපුව in Sinhala) is the provincial capital of the eastern province of 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. Velupillai Prabhakaran (வேலுப்பிள்ளை பிரபாகரன் born November 26, 1954) also known informally as Thambi (தம்பி 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. ^[1]

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. ^[2] They continue to regularly attack the LTTE. ^[2]

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. ^[3]

He has said that the LTTE has lost 70% of its fighting capacity due to his TMVP group separating from the LTTE. Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP ( தமிழ் மக்கள் விடுதலைப்புலிகள், Tamil Peoples Liberation Tigers) also ^[3]

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

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

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. Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP ( தமிழ் மக்கள் விடுதலைப்புலிகள், Tamil Peoples Liberation Tigers) also Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP ( தமிழ் மக்கள் விடுதலைப்புலிகள், Tamil Peoples Liberation Tigers) also A number of his statements there were widely reported ^{[4] [5]}

At the same time the TMVP announced that it was setting up a "special attack force" and a "spy attack force". Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP ( தமிழ் மக்கள் விடுதலைப்புலிகள், Tamil Peoples Liberation Tigers) also 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. Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP ( தமிழ் மக்கள் விடுதலைப்புலிகள், Tamil Peoples Liberation Tigers) also Pillaiyan was reportedly also targeted but escaped to Trincomalee with about 200 supporters although he has since been reconcilled to Karuna. Trincomalee (திருகோணமலை Tirukōṇamalai තිරිකුණාමළය Tirikūṇamaḷaya is a district a bay and a port city on the northeast coast of ^[6]

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. The Kalmunai massacre refers to two series of mass killing that occurred on June 1990 in Kalmunai, a Municipality within the Ampara District of

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. A death squad is an armed Squad that kills civilians terrorists or guerillas ^[7]

His armed group has been accused by human rights groups in the increasing involuntary disappearances of civilians in the Jaffna peninsula. Human rights refers to the "basic Rights and freedoms to which all humans are entitled Various Non-governmental organizations and individuals have accused the Sri Lankan government of committing state terrorism Jaffna or Yazhpanam (யாழ்ப்பாணம் in Tamil meaning யாழ்= ^[8][9] They have been accused of taking part in death squad activity against civilians. A death squad is an armed Squad that kills civilians terrorists or guerillas ^[10] They are also accused of child soldier recruitment by UNICEF, Human Rights Watch, and others. The military use of Children takes three distinct forms children can take direct part in hostilities (child soldiers or they can be used in support roles such as porters spies messengers The United Nations Children's Fund (or UNICEF) was created by the United Nations General Assembly on December 11, 1946 Human Rights Watch is a United States -based international Non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on Human rights. ^[11][12][13] Additionally, a report by the United States Department of State claims that Karuna's group "was believed also to have killed 20 civilians. "^[14]

Karuna has categorically denied these allegations in interviews claiming the LTTE is trying to discredit his party. ^[15]

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. Events 1570 - A Tidal wave in the North Sea devastates the coast from Holland to Jutland, killing more than 1000 Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. "Metropolitan Police" redirects here See also Metropolitan police. The Border and Immigration Agency was an executive agency of the British Home Office, created on 1 April 2007. ^[16] It is thought that he was found in possession of a forged passport and firearms. ^[17][18] 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. ^[19]

Karuna said in court that the government, through Permanent Secretary for Defense Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, had given him the passport. Lieutenant Colonel (Ret Nandasena Gotabhaya Rajapaksa RWP, RSP, GR is the current Permanent On January 25, 2008 he was sentenced to nine months in prison. Events 41 - After a night of negotiation Claudius is accepted as Roman Emperor by the Senate 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common ^[20] He was transferred to an immigration detention centre in May 2008. ^[21]

See also

• Military use of children in Sri Lanka

References

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