Our studies on paramilitary Karuna Group in the Eastern Province has made us to come to a conclusion that the paramilitaries are trying to establish a small territory of their control in Welikanda area utilizing the advantageous conditions from the Sri Lanka military forces.
Very reliable sources from Eastern Province reveal that the paramilitary Karuma
Group has a camp in government controlled Bowatta village in Welikanda.
Around 60 persons are staying in this safe house. Most of the armed persons who are with Karuna Group are underage boys. There are a few former LTTE cadres who defected from the mainstream group around a year ago but the majority of the cadres are new recruits. The group is provided with enough money and other resources such as motor vehicles. They obtain supplies from Welikanda town and the residents, the security forces and the Police in the area know their presence.
There are a few Sinhala youths also with the paramilitary. They participate in the operations conducted by the Karuna Group and are said well paid. The paramilitaries have been nosy about in the civil life of the village and they have proscribed moonshine selling, drinking and quarrelling, say the villagers. At the moment they seem not engaged in political activities but maintain as a paid competent paramilitary group.
Karuna Group operates in Wadumunai, Karapola, Muthugala and Thiruchenai Tamil
villages in the areas controlled by the Liberation Tigers. Our sources reveal that Karuna Group is gaining support from the Tamil villagers of these areas who are in fear of them. It is reported that the LTTE is losing their grip in these areas as a result of it.
LTTE recently attacked several paramilitary camps in Welikanda area. Sri Lanka
government claimed that the area where the camps were situated was in the LTTE
territory. LTTE said the vice versa. Karuna Group spokesman first said that the
camps were located in the border of Batticalao; about 2 kilometers from the LTTE controlled Kaddumurippu, but later said that the area is not governed by both of the parties.
Karuna Group's move to establish an independent territory of control is well
supported by the short sighted Sinhala chauvinist hardliners. Monk Party National Heritage (JHU) recently demanded the Karuna Group's territories be demarcated and it should be engaged in the peace process.
Our observations on Karuna Group make us to take the matter more seriously. Karuna who was the Second-in-Command of the LTTE has not completely lost his ground in Eastern Province yet. LTTE's sudden allegations against him over corruption did not materialise well. The battle hardened rebel will not give away his ambitions easily.
He will seek a position for himself in Tamil politics in future. Although he lost badly in the first round of his sudden defect he continued to fight. That is why he could stay in the game. He is utilizing all the favourable opportunities to establish himself. Karuna Group has opened a political office in a high security area and once they publicly participated in a meeting of anti-LTTE political groups held at a government office in Colombo representing Karuna's political party.
But the support of the Sinhala camp has both good and bad effects for Karuna. Groups like EPDP, EPRLF and PLOTE were trapped in the support of the government military and were reduced to mere paramilitaries. But Karuna seems to try to avoid such pitfalls. That is why he is trying to work on his own agenda creating his own territories. He is trying to maintain some independence. He has been so cunning to utilize ultra Sinhala chauvinist JHU to raise the issue of demarcating territories for Karuna Group and taking him involved in the peace process. It seems an early expression of his plans. Yet he has to go further to achieve this position.
But it is extremely difficult to be an independent Tamil armed movement because all the anti LTTE forces supporting Karuna Group do not want him to be so. They need just a formidable paramilitary and none other than that. EPDP and PLOTE also tried this but could not succeed and finally reduced to paramilitary outfits. Government security forces let them go only to the length they want. Karuna, if understands this situation will try to evade the traps and sneak out through the contradictions his support camp.
Karuna was a hardcore Tamil nationalist and his earlier acts against Sinhalese and Muslims depicted a kind of Tamil racism. He could have not been changed much in that sense after his defection. On the other hand if he needs to be a de facto leader in the Tamil society, a position he held earlier, he has to base among Tamils. Ties with Sinhala chauvinist camp alienates him from the base he targets.
At the moment Karuna Group does not levy taxes and maintains good relations with the people in Welikanda area where they have chosen to base. This strategic strip of land between Trincomalee and Batticaloa is crucial for the LTTE and therefore Army has allowed them to position there. Security forces think that they can control the paramilitaries who are struck in the edge of their territory. Karuna who understands the plans of the security forces is trying to move further in to the Tiger territory as they can be more independent there.
Karuna Group will gain immensely in a war situation. Their military experience will put themselves far ahead of the government forces in the eastern terrains. The government security forces will have to depend heavily on them and will have to pay for that. LTTE will directly target Karuna Group in a full scale war context and therefore Karuna will also have to depend on the government military machine. However the possibility of protraction of war is high. Such a situation will be disadvantageous for both the Sri Lanka government and the LTTE, but not to the Karuna group.
Sinhala camp is playing with fire. They will win the gambling if they will be able to maintain the Karuna Group reduced to a mere paramilitary. But if Karuna could succeed in investing politically in the complex contradictions among the Sinhala camp he will be able to develop as a formidable independent armed group. In such a context he will even be able to bargain with the LTTE. What would happen if LTTE offered him a formal or informal amnesty or went to a coalition with him? There are experiences from the history of Tamil struggle that when such amnesties are offered by the LTTE directly or indirectly Tamil leaders have warmly welcomed them. You can find enough of anti LTTE Tamils, but it is difficult to make them Sinhala chauvinist to accept the Sinhala unitary state.
Narrow minds who are running the politics of Sri Lanka are putting this beautiful country into trouble from trouble. Those who gain from this kind of narrow politics are the rogues who are in European suits, national suits, red shirts and even in yellow robes.
(http://www.lankaenews.com/English/news.php?id=2321)
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