The leader of a breakaway faction of the Tamil Tiger rebels said he broke away from the group because its leadership was preparing to plunge Sri Lanka back into civil war.
V. Muralitharan, the commander of the Tigers' eastern forces better known as Karuna, said he seceded with 6,000 troops to save the Norwegian-backed peace process between the Tigers and the Colombo government.
PHOTO: AFP
In an interview late Tuesday, Karuna also promised not to start a factional war with Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran.
Karuna said he caused the unprecedented split in the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) because the northern leadership under Prabhakaran was preparing for war in defiance of a ceasefire accord.
"We were asked to send a contingent of soldiers [to the north]," said Karuna at his tightly guarded base at Karadiyanaru in the eastern coastal district of Batticaloa, around 300km east of Colombo.
"The Wanni administration of the north asked for soldiers at a time of peace. That made me conclude he was getting ready for war," he said.
The 37-year-old guerrilla commander said he wanted an end to the military conflict with the Sinhalese-dominated government forces for a Tamil homeland, which has cost over 60,000 lives since 1972.
"Lives sacrificed should be meaningful," said Karuna, who looked relaxed sipping a soft drink and occasionally flashing a boyish smile.
"If one has to make it meaningful, it means going away from war. If we are to enter war again, it means we are going to lose precious lives again. This is the present reality."
The split within the LTTE is the second major problem to hit efforts to end the civil war on the picturesque island south of India. A power struggle between Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and President Chandrika Kumaratunga over the peace process has triggered snap April 2 elections.
Karuna said he wanted to see a resumption of the Norwegian-backed peace process between the Tigers and the government in Colombo, which has been suspended since April last year.
"I think negotiations are very important," he said. "That is the only means through which we can find some settlement."
Karuna also said his decision was influenced by unhappiness among Tamils in the east of Sri Lanka, who have traditionally made up the bulk of the Tigers' fighting force, over their treatment by the northern leadership.
"The Wanni administration should think of being forgiven by our people and soldiers for being thankless for the deeds we have done to protect Wanni and its people," he said.
Tamils from the north have traditionally regarded themselves as being from a higher Hindu caste than those in the east, and the Tiger leadership is dominated by northerners.
Prabhakaran sacked Karuna from the separatist movement on Saturday and offered him an amnesty to lead a private life. Karuna has rejected the offer even though he knows his life is now in danger.
Karuna has spent over two decades in the Tigers and emerged as the group's No. 2 after a stint as a trusted bodyguard to the reclusive Prabakharan, 49, who is known for not tolerating dissent.
He led the forces that held off the Sri Lankan military's biggest and bloodiest campaign in 1998.
Karuna, dressed in a camouflage uniform with a pistol by his side, appears confident. At his office, heavily armed loyalists keep a close watch as he speaks with guests.
He was one of the Tiger leaders who traveled to peace talks in Bangkok, Berlin, Tokyo and Oslo over the past few years. He has also visited many European capitals.
Diplomats have warned there is no prospect of resuming negotiations until the Tigers have resolved their differences.
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