While Sri Lanka's government and Tamil rebels teeter between war and peace, a deadly conflict is raging in the island's east, where renegade guerrillas are locked in a do-or-die battle with former comrades.
Blindfolded bodies are often found dumped by the road, hands tied behind the back, in the eastern "shadow war," which rages alongside naval battles, ambushes and air strikes further north between government forces and mainstream guerrillas.
The renegades, who call themselves the TMVP, say they are not party to the fraying 2002 ceasefire between the mainstream Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) rebels and the government.
"The ceasefire was between two sides -- the LTTE and the government," Prathep, a senior renegade rebel, said in the eastern town of Batticaloa late on Wednesday.
"To protect our own bases, we must attack them [the LTTE]. It is not to destroy the ceasefire agreement or bring war to the country," he said.
With more than 700 people dead so far this year, mediators are desperate to restart a peace process between the government and the LTTE.
But repeated attacks on the LTTE by the ex-rebels, led by a man named Karuna, are seen making matters worse, and many diplomats suspect the military is backing them.
Colombo denies it, saying Karuna is an internal LTTE problem. In February, they initially promised to disarm armed groups in their territory but truce monitors say they then did nothing. The Tigers pulled out of talks and violence soared.
After years as one of their top commanders, Karuna Amman split from the LTTE in 2004. The rebels retook his eastern territory, but he has since rebuilt his forces and started the TMVP, based in the army-held town of Batticaloa.
Few in the area talk openly about the internecine Tamil fighting or the government's role in it. But many fear that unless violence is checked, the two-decade civil war that has already killed some 65,000 people will resume in earnest.
The TMVP says that although the Tigers claim to fight for a separate homeland for minority Tamils, rebel leader Velupillai Prabhakaran has turned them into a brutal dictatorship prejudiced against eastern Tamils in favor of their northern brethren.
Fighters loyal to Karuna had killed 230 Tiger fighters since 2004, Prathep said, for the loss of 57 of their own men. If the Tigers did not pursue peace, the TMVP would destroy them without military help.
The TMVP does not say how many men it has, but admits its members are based in jungle camps between government and Tiger territory. But some residents say they are in reality close to or even part of army camps.
"Without any doubt there is government support," said Jane's' Defence Weekly analyst Iqbal Athas. "Karuna parted company two and a half years ago. How is he managing to maintain himself in terms of ammunition? But I don't know at what level of government they are conscious of that interaction."
Meanwhile, Amnesty International yesterday urged Sri Lanka to better protect civilians amid an upsurge in violence with Tamil separatists, citing UN figures of tens of thousands displaced since April.
"The state's failure to provide adequate security and to ensure that attacks against civilians are prosecuted has resulted in widespread fear and panic," said Purna Sen, Amnesty's director for the Asia-Pacific region.
EUROPEAN FUTURE? Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama says only he could secure EU membership, but challenges remain in dealing with corruption and a brain drain Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama seeks to win an unprecedented fourth term, pledging to finally take the country into the EU and turn it into a hot tourist destination with some help from the Trump family. The artist-turned-politician has been pitching Albania as a trendy coastal destination, which has helped to drive up tourism arrivals to a record 11 million last year. US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also joined in the rush, pledging to invest US$1.4 billion to turn a largely deserted island into a luxurious getaway. Rama is expected to win another term after yesterday’s vote. The vote would
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
CANCER: Jose Mujica earned the moniker ‘world’s poorest president’ for giving away much of his salary and living a simple life on his farm, with his wife and dog Tributes poured in on Tuesday from across Latin America following the death of former Uruguayan president Jose “Pepe” Mujica, an ex-guerrilla fighter revered by the left for his humility and progressive politics. He was 89. Mujica, who spent a dozen years behind bars for revolutionary activity, lost his battle against cancer after announcing in January that the disease had spread and he would stop treatment. “With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica. President, activist, guide and leader. We will miss you greatly, old friend,” Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi wrote on X. “Pepe, eternal,” a cyclist shouted out minutes later,
Myanmar’s junta chief met Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) for the first time since seizing power, state media reported yesterday, the highest-level meeting with a key ally for the internationally sanctioned military leader. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing led a military coup in 2021, overthrowing Myanmar’s brief experiment with democracy and plunging the nation into civil war. In the four years since, his armed forces have battled dozens of ethnic armed groups and rebel militias — some with close links to China — opposed to its rule. The conflict has seen Min Aung Hlaing draw condemnation from rights groups and pursued by the
RSS