Tamil Guardian editorial; London, April 15, 2004
Straw Man: Karuna’s revolt was overstated and its defeat welcome
When the LTTE’s then Special Commander for the Batticaloa-Ampara district declared in early March that he was splitting from the movement and establishing a separate administration in the eastern region, the development was described as the movement’s most serious crisis to date. Karuna’s revolt was thus enthusiastically welcomed by the LTTE’s detractors who rejoiced in what they considered was not only a serious blow to the movement’s structure and strength, but a veritable dilemma for its leadership: with Karuna claiming or more rightly, sympathetic media claiming for him control of five thousand cadres and their arsenal, LTTE leader Vellupillai Pirapaharan, it seemed, had to choose between ceding southern Tamil Eelam to the renegade or engage in a mutually destructive internecine war.
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The LTTE’s repeated assurances the crisis was ‘temporary’ and that it would be resolved ‘without bloodshed, ‘ whilst intended to calm nerves in the Tamil community, both in the homeland and in the Diaspora, inevitably reinforced perceptions that the movement, well known for its iron discipline, was incapable of dealing with the problem. Perhaps those comments also emboldened Karuna, whose rebellion, while defended in lofty terms of challenging regional discrimination and seeking peace, was in reality prompted by his imminent dismissal for conduct singularly unbecoming of a senior commander in a liberation movement. Karuna confidently paraded before the international media and put the LTTE’s eastern cadres on show, while issuing what was clearly an open challenge to the movement’s leadership.
Which is why the LTTE’s lighting offensive over the Easter weekend came as such a surprise, even to those gleefully heralding the onset of bloody fratricide in the east. In just four days the LTTE secured all of the territory Karuna had claimed control over and recovering almost its entire inventory of weapons and supplies. Moreover, it did so with minimal casualties amongst combatants and civilians. The greatest crisis that the LTTE is said to have faced thus ended abruptly no doubt to the bitter disappointment of those opposed to the Tamil struggle. Karuna’s revolt turned out to be, as the LTTE described it last month, a ‘temporary aberration. ‘ Nevertheless, its ending has been greeted with relief and joy by the Tamil community and the New Year celebrations this week have received an unexpected fillip. The LTTE has already begun the tasks of reestablishing a civil administration and reorganising its military forces in the area. The renegade commander’s whereabouts, meanwhile are uncertain, but it is widely believed he and a handful of close associates have sought refuge with the Sri Lankan military.
The LTTE is yet to comment officially on this weekend’s developments, except to declare its reestablished dominance in the eastern region. But amid reports that Colombo has offered Karuna sanctuary, it is worth bearing in mind that the LTTE’s declared two weeks ago: “We should let it be known to his contacts that they will cause irreparable damage to the peace process if they exploit Karuna’s dissent.” The LTTE waited till after Sri Lanka’s Parliamentary elections, which its proxy party, the Tamil National Alliance (TNA), was expected to (and did) sweep to launch its offensive. This not only underlines the confidence the movement had it in its own capabilities but also outlines the movement’s priorities with regards to advancing the Tamil liberation struggle. The quelling of Karuna’s rebellion removes one obstacle to the peace process. The ease with which it was done, meanwhile, underlines the unity and resolve of the Tamil people, as far as our struggle is concerned.
Originally posted April 15, 2004