THE LIBERATION Tigers of Tamil Eelam, a rebel army that has fought a 25-year civil war against the Sri Lankan state, is “finished”, having lost more than 90 per cent of its fighters, its former military commander has said.
In an interview yesterday, Col Karuna said about 1,500 surviving rebels, who have made their last stand on a sliver of the northeast coast, are cornered by 65,000 troops of the Sri Lankan army. At the height of their powers the Tigers had more than 15,000 men.
Karuna is the nom de guerre of Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan, who until 2004 was the Tigers’ military commander. Many see his defection as a turning point. Not only was he privy to all the Tigers’ best-kept secrets, he also brought with him 6,000 battle-hardened fighters.
The 45-year-old now describes his former leader, Velupillai Prabhakaran, as “a mad man”. “He wanted to be a king, a duke . . . he had a totalitarian mindset. I told him the LTTE could never win. I had spent 22 years on the battlefield. But he did not listen.”
Mr Prabhakaran, he said, had made a series of tactical blunders culminating in the suicidal gamble of holding territory. “After he lost [the Tigers’ capital] Kilinochi he knew he could not make a stand. But he thought the Tigers could survive among the people. Now the LTTE has trapped 100,000 people and [Prabhakaran] has gone to the jungles [preparing for] a guerrilla war.”
Aid agencies warn of a looming humanitarian catastrophe as the Sri Lankan army has pounded the Tiger positions, which have been placed amid the cornered population. The UN says that 2,800 civilians have been killed and more than 7,000 injured.
Karuna says he has warned President Mahinda Rajapaksa “this is a critical situation. They have listened. The army do not use sea or air power. I have told them be careful.” For as long as the Tigers exist, Karuna cannot live in the open – and his family remain in the UK. The Guardian met him after passing armed guards at a secret location in Colombo.
Officials admit he has “blood on his hands” but say he should be forgiven after renouncing violence.
The LTTE’s former military supremo says one of the reasons why the Sri Lankan army has been so successful is the new commando units that tracked the Tigers through their phone calls, pinpointing their jungle lairs. “The LTTE can never be built up again. They can’t use any communications. They are finished.”
He admits a high regard for the Sri Lankan army commander, Sarath Foneska, who survived a Tiger bombing in 2006. “Now we meet frequently and talk about our past. He was a war hero. So was I. We appreciate each other.”
Karuna was made Sri Lanka’s minister for national integration this week – a remarkable transition. – (Guardian service)