Three Sri Lankan ministers are supporting a military intelligence directed shadow war against the Liberation Tigers, two former Tamil paramilitaries who defected to the LTTE said this week.
Ministers A L M Athaullah, Douglas Devananda and Maithripala Sirisena are complicit in helping paramilitaries operating in the east, two former members of the Karuna Group, named after the renegade LTTE commander who head it said.
Karuna himself is living in India, but is in constant contact with his gunmen, they said. Once the Tigers’ most senior commander in the east, Karuna defected to the SLA in April 2004 following the collapse of his six-week rebellion against the LTTE leadership.
There has been no comment by the Sri Lankan government, Athaullah was this week reported to have threatened Tamil journalists who covered the press conference at which the revelations were made.
The Sri Lankan intelligence led paramilitary campaign has over the past two years led to a serious deterioration in the integrity of the February 2002 ceasefire.
Hundreds of people, including LTTE members and supporters, Tamil paramilitaries, Sri Lankan intelligence officers and many civilians have been killed and international ceasefire monitors despair of trying to arrest the cycle of violence which has peaked in recent weeks.
Although a brief lull after the November 17 presidential elections had encouraged the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) to praise the decrease, the killing of two pro-LTTE activists by paramilitaries in Jaffna unleashed a wave of deadly retaliatory attacks, including two landmine attacks which killed fifteen Sri Lankan troops.
The LTTE has consistently accused Sri Lankan military intelligence of waging an undeclared war through a clutch of Tamil paramilitary groups.
But the involvement of Sri Lankan ministers other than Douglas Devanda, the head of the paramilitary Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP), was pointedly raised in the Heroes Day address by LTTE leader Vellupillai Pirapaharan.
“Though these violent acts were committed under the guidance and direction of the Sri Lankan military intelligence, we are aware that mysterious hands of some racist Sinhala politicians are behind these nefarious activities,” he said.
It was at a press conference this week in LTTE controlled part of the Batticaloa district that the two former paramilitaries, including a senior cadre, first made public the involvement of Athaullah and Sirisena.
Thurasingham Chandrakumar, 21, alias Puhalventhan (from Kaluwankerni), and Samithamby Arunkumar, 26, alias Gnanatheepan (from Vantharumoolai) surrendered to the LTTE after killing other members of a paramilitary unit enroute to attack an LTTE position.
They said the Karuna Group, one of five paramilitary groups, has a strength of at least forty cadres and was being supplied with weapons and logistical support by the Sri Lanka Army, they said.
"Transport arrangements, arms and ammunition supplies are arranged by the Sri Lanka Army Intelligence," Gnanatheepan said.
However, the funding for the Karuna Group, which is mainly based in two places, Thivuchenai and Thirukonamadu, was being provided by an external source through a key operative, he said.
Meanwhile, the Liberation Tigers conferred "Tamil National Patriot" titles on the two sisters of Puhalventhan who killed in revenge last Wednesday night by suspected paramilitaries, at Palacholai in Batticaloa.
Mrs. Yogarasa Yogeswary, 26, and Thurairasa Vathany, 17, were shot as they emerged from their door to greet two callers who had entered the compound around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday. A two years old child was seriously wounded.
Their were cremated with full military honors at the LTTE Cemetary for Patriots Saturday, daily Batticaloa Eelanaatham reported. The LTTE’s Senior Batticaloa military, Colonel Banu, other LTTE commanders, LTTE fighters and Palacholai residents paid their last respect to the sisters.
Ministers A L M Athaullah, Douglas Devananda and Maithripala Sirisena are complicit in helping paramilitaries operating in the east, two former members of the Karuna Group, named after the renegade LTTE commander who head it said.
Karuna himself is living in India, but is in constant contact with his gunmen, they said. Once the Tigers’ most senior commander in the east, Karuna defected to the SLA in April 2004 following the collapse of his six-week rebellion against the LTTE leadership.
There has been no comment by the Sri Lankan government, Athaullah was this week reported to have threatened Tamil journalists who covered the press conference at which the revelations were made.
The Sri Lankan intelligence led paramilitary campaign has over the past two years led to a serious deterioration in the integrity of the February 2002 ceasefire.
Hundreds of people, including LTTE members and supporters, Tamil paramilitaries, Sri Lankan intelligence officers and many civilians have been killed and international ceasefire monitors despair of trying to arrest the cycle of violence which has peaked in recent weeks.
Although a brief lull after the November 17 presidential elections had encouraged the Sri Lanka Monitoring Mission (SLMM) to praise the decrease, the killing of two pro-LTTE activists by paramilitaries in Jaffna unleashed a wave of deadly retaliatory attacks, including two landmine attacks which killed fifteen Sri Lankan troops.
The LTTE has consistently accused Sri Lankan military intelligence of waging an undeclared war through a clutch of Tamil paramilitary groups.
But the involvement of Sri Lankan ministers other than Douglas Devanda, the head of the paramilitary Eelam People’s Democratic Party (EPDP), was pointedly raised in the Heroes Day address by LTTE leader Vellupillai Pirapaharan.
“Though these violent acts were committed under the guidance and direction of the Sri Lankan military intelligence, we are aware that mysterious hands of some racist Sinhala politicians are behind these nefarious activities,” he said.
It was at a press conference this week in LTTE controlled part of the Batticaloa district that the two former paramilitaries, including a senior cadre, first made public the involvement of Athaullah and Sirisena.
Thurasingham Chandrakumar, 21, alias Puhalventhan (from Kaluwankerni), and Samithamby Arunkumar, 26, alias Gnanatheepan (from Vantharumoolai) surrendered to the LTTE after killing other members of a paramilitary unit enroute to attack an LTTE position.
They said the Karuna Group, one of five paramilitary groups, has a strength of at least forty cadres and was being supplied with weapons and logistical support by the Sri Lanka Army, they said.
"Transport arrangements, arms and ammunition supplies are arranged by the Sri Lanka Army Intelligence," Gnanatheepan said.
However, the funding for the Karuna Group, which is mainly based in two places, Thivuchenai and Thirukonamadu, was being provided by an external source through a key operative, he said.
Meanwhile, the Liberation Tigers conferred "Tamil National Patriot" titles on the two sisters of Puhalventhan who killed in revenge last Wednesday night by suspected paramilitaries, at Palacholai in Batticaloa.
Mrs. Yogarasa Yogeswary, 26, and Thurairasa Vathany, 17, were shot as they emerged from their door to greet two callers who had entered the compound around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday. A two years old child was seriously wounded.
Their were cremated with full military honors at the LTTE Cemetary for Patriots Saturday, daily Batticaloa Eelanaatham reported. The LTTE’s Senior Batticaloa military, Colonel Banu, other LTTE commanders, LTTE fighters and Palacholai residents paid their last respect to the sisters.
