India is very keen to start discussions on a power sharing method
De facto LTTE Leader Karuna................By Shakunthala Perera
De facto LTTE Leader Karuna tells Hard Talk that with the LTTE breathing its last it was a matter of time before the LTTE is completely wiped out and a political process that meets the rights of the Tamil people is in place. He reiterates that it was the responsibility of all Tamil parties to engage with the government and join the discussion on a political solution and not boycott such a process. He maintains that today’s visit of Indian Foreign Secretary was in no way one to exert any form of pressure on the government to stop the war, but to express their concerns towards the plight of the Tamil civilians caught in between.
No pressure from India to stop the war.
Govt. should be able to finish off the war by the end of the year.
People hate the LTTE in the Wanni today because their lives have been restricted to refugee camps.
Enough chances have been given the LTTE to reform.
The best thing to do right now is to engage with the government.
Q: You recently claimed that the secondary leadership in the LTTE were ready to defect. On what are you basing these claims?
Simply, on the fact that the LTTE are facing many internal problems due to the military exercises and the capture of Kilinochchi. The morale of the cadres is totally down. The news I have from the Wanni is that a large number of lower level cadres of the group have thrown away their weapons and fled to other areas in fear. The LTTE is in its final stages today. Prabhakaran will try guerilla warfare but he won’t be able to sustain it for long. His cadres are used to and trained in conventional warfare so it will anyway be difficult for them to change immediately.
Q: What in your opinion is the strength of the LTTE right now?
His strength both cadres and weapons wise is very low. His cadre number can’t be more than 2000. He had tried to recruit people but has failed as well because the people are angry that with all the forceful recruitment and the losses they faced they realize it was a farce. Those days when we were part of the LTTE the people believed us, but with my defection the people finally realised that it was a futile attempt. The problem is that Prabhakaran won’t change even if he knows that he can’t recruit people anymore. People hate the LTTE in the Wanni today because their lives have been restricted to refugee camps. They don’t blame the government for that but the LTTE for giving unattainable goals to them.
Q: Are you saying that there is no longer support for Eelam within the Tamil community today?
People don’t believe Prabhakaran can get them Eelam.
Q: According to your information where is Prabhakaran now and what option is available to him now?
He can’t go anywhere in the world today because no one will accept him. He will certainly be trapped in the jungles. He will try to defend the bit of land left using the human shield, but it will be very difficult. The government can clear up the area faster than he believes. I also spoke to the President and Gotabaya about the plight of the civilians caught in the middle. They are also very concerned about this situation. I explained the need for making sure the people are secured. But Prabhakaran’s future will be a question mark, because neither can he survive in the jungle nor hope to flee abroad because no country will accept him. The only countries that he has clandestine dealings with on arms and ammunition are ; Indonesia, Cambodia and Thailand. Again, the sea voyage will be a very difficult one. He can only try and survive in the jungles.
Q: Are their dealings with these three countries still in operation?
Yes, they have companies registered as business entities so it is difficult to find out which ones they are and exactly how they operate. Arms dealings continue as well.
Q: There were reports that certain senior leaders of the LTTE were also negotiating their way out of the group. How far is this true?
Senior leader like Nadesan is not a courageous man. He can’t do anything in the battlefield. And Soosai can only operate as long as he has access to the sea and with Navy patrols his movementsw are also restricted, so their morale is completely down. But they can’t defect so they might look at the option of surrendering. The fact is that the LTTE is today restricted to a 40 km stretch of land and even that they won’t be able to hold on to for long. And after that bit is also lost that will be the end of it all.
Q: There are many arguments against the government decision to ban the LTTE on the grounds that such a move removes any chances for negotiations between and blocks any form of engagement with the LTTE. How do you see this situation?
I think it is a very positive move. The government gave them every opportunity to join the democratic process. But every time it was refused, so it is now the right decision to take. Enough chances have been given the LTTE. The Tamil people are finally able to think of a peaceful life. They have been forced to go through much difficulties during the last two decades. No one likes to sacrifice a child to a worthless cause like this.
Q: Different reports giving vastly different time frames are given to when the war may come to an end. In your estimation how much time do you think will it take for the security forces to finish this war?
I don’t think its easy to give a deadline like that. It all depends on the strategy adopted by the security forces. But given the areas so far captured it will be difficult for the LTTE to hold on for long. But given that the Army has very sophisticated means to fight this war, I think they should be able to finish it off by the end of the year. Now that their de-facto state is lost it would be difficult for LTTE to go on anymore. It was important that the security forces captured the coastal areas because their strength was the sea. But now that the western coast is completely lost to them especially with their clandestine dealings with Tamil Nadu at a standstill, and losing the East completely, capturing Mullativu will be easy. Now the Army is moving from Jaffna and with the low morale and loss of arms it would be a matter of time before it is completely destroyed.
Q: You spoke of Tamil Nadu. Given the immense pressure on the Indian centre how do you view today’s visit of the Indian Foreign Secretary?
The Indian government understands the position of the government and the military exercises. They are only concerned about the civilians. But there is no pressure on the govt. to stop the war.
Q: But there is a definite pressure from the international community including India for the government to seek a political solution parallel to the military exercises isn’t there? Do you think this is justified?
That may only be possible after capturing the land under the LTTE, when a PC election could be held in the North. The govt.’s position maybe that after the war to implement the 13th Amendment. After that I think we can talk to the government about a power sharing method. India is also very keen to start discussions on it. The Tamil people will be happy with such a solution and we will definitely solve it soon. Otherwise there will be a serious loss to the people on both economic and educational grounds. Once we solve it as such the people will accept the political reality of such a solution. Every body knows the Tamil people need their rights to be met. Already the APRC has started work on it although there is no solution from it yet. After the capture of Mullativu even the TNA will participate in that process. We have to participate in the process. Otherwise we can’t get anything from the government. Boycotting the process is never the answer. We have to do something for our people. The best thing to do right now is to engage with the government.
Q: But how do you plan to win the confidence of the Tamil community for such a process when the East still remain volatile? Your own cadres still refuse to disarm and a power struggle has already commenced between you and Pillayan.
We have already decided for our cadres to join the forces on a volunteer basis and if sufficiently talented join the police force as well. They are very happy to do so. That process is on. The delay is due to the lack of documents to process. We have no difficulty in disarming. I have explained to my cadres that we can’t carry weapons in a united Sri Lanka. We don’t need weapons. The Army has given us the security that we need. Our work with the UN has also started. With the support of the people in the East rejoining society will be easy with proper counselling and opportunities.
The problem between me and Pillayan is already resolved. Every political party has problems. But people in both the East and the North expect us to look after them. In the future we will have to develop a positive plan for development. Now I can coordinate very well with the central government. Everyone understands the ground realities.
DAILYMIRROR.LK
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