Don’t nip Col.Karuna (Part 01)

By: R. Jayadevan

(November, 08, London, Sri Lanka Guardian) The leader of the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Puligal (TMVP) Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias Col Karuna who broke away from the LTTE in 2004 has become the victim of his own making. When he left the LTTE many interested parties including anti-LTTE activists and organisations were elongating him as a hero and encouraged him to carryout a crusade against the LTTE.

When he left the LTTE, he had no where to turn and only few came forward to help and they were considered as useful contacts that set the course for Karuna’s future. During his honeymoon period after leaving the LTTE, he lost some of the good and genuine friends who joined him due to his involvement with some questionable characters. As the time passed Karuna had to distance him from these questionable elements as he realised he is lot to loose with their association. His parting with these vicious elements was not a simple one. He had to face a massive onslaught, day and night, which led him in his present predicament.

Those who carryout the crusade against him is persons involved with the media and have some political and official influence in Colombo to create misery for Karuna. There is said to be documentary evidence to confirm these elements have made substantial financial gains by their association with Karuna and now that their resources had dried up have turned against him so viciously to destroy him.

After initial hullabaloos of leaving the LTTE, Karuna teamed up with an anti-LTTE group known as Eelam National Democratic Liberation Front (ENDLF) led by Paranthan Rajan who is settled in Tamil Nadu, India. ENDLF is a small group consisting of handful of former PLOTE members and family members of Paranthan Rajan and did not have any operational base or activities in Sri Lanka. Their association with Karuna brought fortunes for the ENDLF. When Karuna formed the TMVP and established his influence in eastern Sri Lanka, he facilitated an operational base for the ENDLF in the east. Due to allegations of anti-social behaviours of the ENDLF cadres, TMVP decided to close down the ENDLF operations.

ENDLF was hurt by the decision and started to campaign against Karuna. Effective of ENDLF’s campaign was from their operatives in London and Paris. ENDLF’s international activist Veeraiya Ramarajah who runs the Tamil Broadcasting Corporation (TBC) started a relentless campaign against Karuna. ENDLF started a special website called ‘Theepori.com’ and scandalous articles about Karuna and about infightings in the TMVP were published and distributed via emails using an email address originating in Paris in the name of Prabhakaran. Sources close to TMVP confirmed ENDLF and its activists have made financial gains by their association with Karuna.

The second influencing person is said to be Sweden based K T Rajasingam who manages the Asian Tribune web newspaper. He established contacts with the TMVP and was dealing with its second in command Pillaiyan. Asian Tribune bestowed the title of Supreme Commander of TMVP to Pillaiyan in its writing and K T Rajasingam was gave favourable coverage to TMVP in his newspaper and some of the news were said to be created by him without the approval of TMVP.
75 years old hate editor of Asian Tribune K T Rajasingam living in hiding somewhere in Sweden

Sources associated with the TMVP confirm K T Rajasingam extracted large sums of money for his services from TMVP promising them heaven in a platter and when TMVP distanced itself from him he went on the spree and used the platter to show them hell. Apparently K T Rajasingam’s daughters wedding expenses were said to be funded by money deceptively obtained from TMVP by K T Rajasingam. The TMVP sources confirmed that they can evidence their financial transactions with K T Rajasingham. The rift had apparently started when K T Rajasingam refused to return some of the sums given to him to register TMVP as an official political party in Sri Lanka with his political influence with the government.

The conflict with Karuna and Asian Tribune took a major turn when Pillaiyan refused to entertain K T Rajasingam’s telephone calls. Asian Tribune editor, having established direct contacts with the President of Sri Lanka when he visited Geneva few months ago is in the driving seat to execute deals and is said to be able to approach the government officials without any difficulties. Asian Tribune is one of the main sources that published Karuna’s departure from the Katunayake Airport using its contact with the Sri Lanka intelligence. K T Rajasingam’s direct contacts with the Sri Lanka intelligence service made him reveal information about Karuna leaving Colombo airport as hot news.

The resources and energy available to the 75 years old K T Rajasingam who runs the Asian Tribune website from a secret location in Sweden is unlimited. He was one time said to be actively helping the LTTE with his human smuggling international network operating through Bangkok. Amounts running into many thousands of Dollars is said to have been gained by K T Rajasingam when he was having his operational base in Bangkok in the 1990’s. During Jayasikuru military operation by the Sri Lankan forces in the mid 1990’s K T Rajasingam was said to have made huge sums of money from many innocent Tamils and the LTTE activists when they were nabbed by Thai authorities at the Bankok airport. He is said to have had close links with the Thai authorities and the LTTE operatives based there.

The third factor of Karuna’s troubles is from the notorious Nadarajah Sethuruban alias Dirty Sethu who runs the Nitharsanam.com website for the LTTE from Oslo. He was full of praise for Karuna before Karuna left the LTTE. He had met the LTTE delegation including Thamilchelvan and Karuna when they visited Oslo in 2003. When Karuna left the LTTE, he came under sustained and degrading campaign of Dirty Sethu. The campaign of ENDLF and Asian Tribune was meals platters for Dirty Sethu and he is now using the information made available by these two former friends of Karuna to extend his own campaign.
Dirty Sethu with Brigadier Thamilchelvan in Oslo in 2003

Anyone visiting nitharsanam.com can see the venom and hatred the LTTE website is discharging and campaigning to nail Karuna. In addition to publication of scandalous news, Dirty Sethu is also involved in sending emails to British authorities to take stern action against Karuna.

Venom and hatred shown by these three elements confirms to the extent hatred can destroy a person. Whatever the rights and wrongs of Karuna, the nasty campaign that is being carried out by these elements could only lead to travesty of justice for him.

To be continue….