Second anniversary of Karuna's revolt – Iniyabarathi recalls.

Iniyabarathi, one of the dare devil commanders of Colonel Karuna, Leader of the TamilEela Makal Viduthalai Pulikal recalls the revolt of his leader Karuna on 03 March 2004, against Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam and its reclusive leader Velupllai Prabakaran. He declares that today after sacrificing nearly 365 of their cadres, 'thanks to our martyrs', - to the ruthless killing machine of Prabakaran, Sri Lankan political agenda is dominated by none other than his leader Karuna.

Iniyabarathy reminded Karuna's words of 03 March 2004, "There is no question of reconciliation with the Vanni Tigers, everything is beyond reconciliation. In future we will have a full self-administration (in the east).We'll receive no more command from the Vanni administration or from Prabhakaran."

These were the words of our leader - a clarion call and we all the Tamils and the Tamil speaking people without hesitation, whole-heartedly rallied round Karuna Amman, to safeguard our people from the Vanni Tigers, he said.

He said that two years have already elapsed and since then, though our losses were immense due to the brutal attacks of the Vanni Tigers, anyhow their sacrifices have not gone in vain. The martyrdom of our beloved ones has today made the world to know the atrocities of the Vanni Tigers and henceforth in any national or international forums or conferences on Sri Lanka's political issues, it would be the Karuna factor that would determine the issues and nothing else.

This was proved clearly even at the latest round of talks held in Geneva, where Balasingham spewed fear mixed with venom they have on us and their vulnerable position in the east. Balasingham is the aging so called spokesman who makes a living with his Australian born wife by promoting and glorifying Fascism and terrorism in Sri Lanka.

Iniyabarathy said today hundreds of devoted cadres are behind our leader and we are ready to sacrifice our lives to provide safety and security to our people as pledged to them by our leader.

He said that he joined the Tamil Tigers when he was an underage boy of 14 years, like one of his colleague Pillaiyan, the deputy commander of the politico military organization. Even earlier the martyred Lt. Colonel Kuhanesan who was killed while asleep in Kottawa too joined the LTTE when he was only 14 years of age.

While talking with "Asian Tribune" in a location in Batticaloa at his sprawling base, Iniyabarathy said that he joined the LTTE in 1994 and underwent arms training at Kudawatte. After the training he was sent to Vanni. According to him he served in Jaffna for a very short time and in Vanni until the end of the year 2000.

He said that he served for a total of six years in Vanni and during the Jeyasukru days he was the Company Commander, posted to be in charge of the Ceylon Theater LTTE camp in the Manal Aru.

He revealed that he is from Kaluwankerni in the Batticaloa district and there were two younger brothers and a sister in his family. Sister was the eldest and he was next followed by his two brothers.

His two brothers Konesakumar alias Lieutenant Bhanuthasan who was also with the LTTE and martyred while taking the forward defense position to wrest back Kilinochchi in the LTTE's hostile campaign "Unceasing Waves II."

Similarly his youngest brother Punithakumar alias Second Lieutenant Suthakaran too martyred at an encounter with the Sri Lankan amed forces at Vantharumulai in the Batticaloa region.

"All the three male members of our family, at one point of time gave our live and soul to safeguard the life of Prabakaran and the Vanni Tigers in the North. Today the same ungrateful Praba-Group has threatened my aged father, mother, my sister and her children. They have to flee and live as displaced persons far away from our home."

He said the people in the East today believe in Colonel Karuna. From Vantharmulai up to Puthukudiyiripu in the Batticalao district, a big swathe of land mass today remains under the control of the TamilEela Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal. "Even the so called areas which were earlier said to be under LTTE control such as Karutthapalam (Black Bridge,) Muthiraiadi, Panthura Veli too are presently under our control," he said. Even Tharavai has fallen and is under dual control. It is no more under the control of the Vanni Tigers alone and is almost something you may term us a 'no man's land', Iniyabarathy explained

When describing about his organization, Iniyabarathy clarified that as Karuna Amman has recently announced our TamilEela Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal is a politico – military organization. We are not crazy people or maniac to fight and shoot everyone we come across. Whenever we are provoked or attacked we will use weapons only on self defence.

Furthermore, he explained that there is no need for anyone to worry about disarming us. We have so far never challenged the sovereignty of the Sri Lanka Government. Our only desire is to have a Tamil homeland with self-rule, something similar to a federal unit encompassing all the geographically contiguous areas of the North and East that have been the traditional homeland of Tamil and Tamil-speaking people in the country. We want our Tamil people live with honor and dignity and as citizens enjoying equal rights, benefits and opportunities as enjoyed by others. We are against discrimination, but we are not against Muslims and Sinhalese people who live in our midst in the east as our own kith and kin without any problems for the last so many generations.

Recently, in the second week of December 2005, there were reports that Iniyabarathy was killed, but the next day he spoke "Asian Tribune" to prove his opponents wrong. "It must be clearly remembered that TamilEela Makal Viduthalai Pulikal is not a terrorist's organization like Vanni Tigers. Vanni Tigers today are banned in almost all the countries in the world. It is important that the international community has to pressurize the disarming of the Vanni Tigers who are always on a killing spree," he said. The fact is that Vanni Tigers who brandish lethal weapons and keep on killing each and everyone who opposes them are a killer-group which has to be disarmed, tamed and brought into the democratic mainstream, he explained.

Iniyabarathi vowed that as long as a single member of the TamilEela Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal is alive they will never allow the Praba-Group to remain in the East. This is the number one priority of our action plan and would be followed by other plans to bring an end to the atrocities unleashed by them in the other parts of the county.

In his concluding statement in the interview with the "Asian Tribune," Iniyabarathi, the young man, 26 years old, a commander dreaded by his opponents said that in their third year of the revolt against Vanni Tigers, he wants to have East of Sri Lanka devoid of Vanni Tigers and people in the area to live peacefully without the fear of death, destruction and war.

(http://www.asiantribune.com/show_news.php?id=17246)