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Karuna and assassinations will be key issues in LTTE-Govt talks
Sunday, 21 August 2005 - 9:54 PM SL Time
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The planned direct talks between the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE on properly implementing the Ceasefire Agreement (CFA) are expected to revolve around two related issues. One is the continued assassination of government personnel allegedly by the LTTE, and the other is the alleged government support for Karuna, the LTTE renegade, who is killing LTTE cadres in Eastern Sri Lanka.
Security and political experts say that it will be very difficult for the two sides to give credible assurances to each other on these two vital issues. Indeed, the government and the LTTE have decided to thrash out these issues across the table, instead of going to war. But the talks are expected to be rough and bumpy, and would need great patience and skill to tide over the difficulties and keep them going.
The political will power of the government will be under severe test particularly because a presidential election is in the offing. It is rumoured that the President is even toying with the idea of snap parliamentary elections to help her tide over some political difficulties.
The Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP), which could align itself with the government for the elections, has already described the LTTE`s willingness to talk as a `trap` into which the government should no fall. The Buddhist monks` party, Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU), has opposed the talks. The government will have to be mindful about the possible reaction of the majority Sinhala-Buddhist political constituency to any concessions to the LTTE, which may be made at the talks.
The LTTE will also approach the talks gingerly. Its sense of insecurity has mounted as a result of the activities of the Karuna group (which it dubs as an army paramilitary group for political convenience). It will be difficult for it to be very flexible on this issue.
The talks will also be a major diplomatic challenge to the Norwegian peace brokers and the Scandinavian truce monitors who will be attending the talks as observers.
The key issues
The LTTE alleges that the government, or at least as section of the Armed Forces, is actively supporting Karuna, the LTTE`s Eastern commander who had broken away from the mainstream in March-April 2004 and has been sniping at unarmed political cadres of the LTTE to devastating effect.
The LTTE has been alleging that Karuna`s men have been making forays into the eastern districts of Batticaloa and Amparai from sanctuaries in the Sinhala-majority district of Polonnaruwa. These armed men have been taking on unarmed political cadres of the LTTE in Batticaloa and Amparai. The dead includes the political commissar for Batticaloa district, Kousalyan.
But the government denies any nexus with Karuna and says that the LTTE has wantonly broken the ceasefire more than 3,000 times since February 2002, by killing people and assassinating top men like Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar and a ranking army intelligence officer like Col Tuan Muthaliff, both in Colombo.
The head of the government Peace Secretariat, Jayantha Dhanapala, had even said that going into the jungles hunting for Karuna`s men could lead a fire fight with the mainstream LTTE because the Karuna-Prabhakaran fight was but an intra-LTTE feud.
The LTTE had agreed to President Chandrika Kumaratunga`s proposal for direct talks because of mounting international pressure. According to reliable sources, pressure from the Tamil diaspora living in the West, was key. It is this overseas Tamil community, which has been the principal contributor to the LTTE coffers and a vital link in its worldwide organisational network so essential for the survival of an outfit leading an isolated and beleaguered existence in an island.
But going for talks and going half way to make it succeed are two different things. If the latter is to take place, the LTTE will have to get some credible assurance from the government on the Karuna issue. If no assurances come, the LTTE may walk out of the talks, Tamil sources say.
For the LTTE, it is a matter of life and death in the eastern districts where its hold is still shaky and where the ethno-political situation is in any case not very favourable to it. Karuna, may not be visible to the naked eye, but he, along with other Tamil groups, which the LTTE says are nothing but Tamil paramilitaries attached to the army, are posing a serious threat to its unarmed political cadres.
Though LTTE often downgrades Karuna as being an insignificant factor, his name comes up too often as a threat. The LTTE knows that it is only Karuna`s men, having been in the LTTE themselves not so long ago, who can carry out the kind of operations that are carrying out.
The Karuna issue will be a major challenge for the government. Going after Karuna or even suspending any support for him may not be an easy option for it. Assuming that the government or a section of the Armed Forces does support Karuna, it may not be politically easy to take a decision to drop him like a hot potato. This is because Karuna is a hero in the Sinhala south, the government`s main political constituency. Karuna is seen by this constituency as the best weapon to fight Prabhakaran and the LTTE and weaken the two before re-starting peace talks.
Indulging in military action to curb Karuna may itself be a violation of the CFA. Secondly, as Peace Secretariat chief Jayantha Dhanapala put it, going after Karuna may lead to inadvertent clashes with the mainstream LTTE.
For the LTTE too, the challenge would lie in giving assurances that there will be no assassinations and killings, especially when it denies involvement in any of these killings. And as a militant group given to killing and expecting to be killed whenever differences and conflicts crop up, its sense of insecurity is very high. In this context, the only credible assurance of security for it, as in the case of other militant groups, is to kill before being killed.
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tigeress19
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21 Aug 2005 15:25:07 GMT Report for Abuse
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Do not pass the ball to this side of the court,the games are almost over.
disarm karuna,leave north and east/then there will be no more killings.
all the killings are commited by karuna or sla using karuna's name. |
jay-r
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21 Aug 2005 15:37:49 GMT Report for Abuse
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Nobody wants to pass the ball to other side! you all keep it yr side.
Who started the killings first and now trying to put the ball onto other side?
Starting from SLA long range these bandits started killing all oponents, to seek for a viable solution,DISARM THE LTTE FIRST!!! |
ravi_r
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21 Aug 2005 15:38:32 GMT Report for Abuse
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What a load of rubbish! Karuna faction doesn't exist! So why would they be a topic at all at the meeting. That meeting must tell them
1) that we are closing all holes in the CFA that Ranil 'sakkili' Wickremasinghe gave to LTTE
2) they must lay all arms
3) agree to receive classroom lessons on civilization, how to address humans, get haircuts and dress-up like humans
4) agree to learn and respect law and order, and the democratic values of Sri Lanka
5) agree to learn to respect for human lives
6) learn the Buddha message and make them join the priesthood to serve the Tamils.
Baring all that, Prabha's psycho therapist will confirm that Karuna is one of his 'nightmares.'
By the way, if he is really an avtar (????????) shouldn't he be able to take care of Karuna? If so, why are they asking the GOSL for HELP? What is it, the all mighty is powerless to handle his own internal problems? How about getting the Vikings to send few mercenaries? |
tigeress19
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21 Aug 2005 15:49:26 GMT Report for Abuse
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Going round in circles,bring back the colonial era.
or change the constitution now for federal solutions.
so we all can stop talk about karuna and forget about him forever. |
jay-r
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21 Aug 2005 15:57:30 GMT Report for Abuse
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Yes, the talks are aimed at eliminating Karuna?
Since the split, Karuna has never been a threat to GOSL or the SLA,so we have to RESPECT that in GRATITUDE.
The wanni butchers accepted the CFA,when they were running short of supplies,army etc etc and immediately after signing the CFA, due to Idiot Ranils foolishness,started the assasination of SLA long range and the Oponents.
So to start talks,FIRST LAY DOWN ARMS! |
tigeress19
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21 Aug 2005 16:01:29 GMT Report for Abuse
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Screaming again.............
habouring any paramilitries is a CFA violation. |
tigeress19
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21 Aug 2005 16:14:08 GMT Report for Abuse
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Hi posari.
nice to meet you.
gosl seems to be not trusting karuna any more.
what this guy don juan darmapala suggested is that if the sla go after karuna in the jungles,they may have to fight with ltte.
in other word, ltte knows where karuna is and if sla went after karuna ,karuna might trick the sla to fall in ltte's net.
it is in a total mess for the government.not only they have created an other shadow enimy but also a political dissastor.
take a deep thinking posari,
by the way hows things with you today? |
jay-r
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21 Aug 2005 16:29:55 GMT Report for Abuse
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| Yes,let the DREAMERS talk about Karuna and LTTE to seek for shelter from Karuna needs SLA help! What a set of jokers,who do not see their OWN NAKEDNESS! |
tigeress19
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21 Aug 2005 16:33:24 GMT Report for Abuse
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Yep......................
will you say it is a bit too early?.............. |
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