Govt keeps a rough tab on the TMVP

(September 27, London, Sri Lanka Guardian) The stalemate facing the LTTE in the war front was a result of its high ranking Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan alias Karuna leaving the group in 2004. His departure was the major turning point for the government. In the turbulent climate (of his own making) post his departure, Karuna was able to engineer a process to secure the east from the LTTE dominance and major violence. Karuna’s departure and his pro-active engagement denied the LTTE the open fields of the east to carryout its recruitment campaign.

If not for Karuna’s stand since his departure, the Sri Lankan forces would have faced a different situation in the East. If Karuna had given up violence and politics altogether upon leaving the LTTE and had decided to live a peaceful family life, the LTTE would have had its say in the East and also the government’s claims of major victories in the east and the north would not have happened. The present would have progressed at greater human and monetary costs to the nation.

The control freak government is determined to keep the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Puligal (TMVP) headed by Karuna under its absolute control. According to sources in the East and close to the TMVP, it is clear that the government his doing everything to keep the TMVP under its control.

Overt and covert practices are systematically engineered by the government to control the TMVP. On the overt front, the government is not permitting the Eastern Provincial Council headed by Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan alias Pillaiyan to function with greater degree of independence. Government wants the Eastern Provincial Council to be its puppet and is failing to delegate the due powers to the elected body. Instead, in a determined way is administering through the governor of the province. The governor who is the servant of the government is said to be preventing the elected body from exercising its powers in a systematic way.

According to political sources, government is said to be trying to end the contract of Dr Vigneswaran who is employed as Secretary to the Chief Minister of Eastern Provincial Council. Dr Vigneswaran was involved in the North-East Provincial Council under Varatharajaperumal in the late 1980’s when the Indian Peace Keeping Force was present in Sri Lanka. He was then involved with the Eelam Peoples Democratic Party (EPDP) of the government minister Douglas Devananda. He left the party following disagreement with the Minister.

According to sources, Minister Douglas Devananda is playing his due role to oust Dr Vigneswaran from his present role in the Eastern Provincial Council. Sources also state Douglas Devandanda is one of the proponents in the government to ensure TMVP plays a subservient role in the east.

On the covert front, the government is using all its external and secret resources to keep the TMVP on the tab. Disseminating scandalous news about internal rivalries and incidences of human rights violence by the TMVP are aimed to subjugate and prevent the TMVP from raising its head over the parapet wall. According to known sources, the government has appointed officials to engineer such covert operations. The latest news published about quarrel between Karuna and Pillaiyan is said to be part of the covert campaigns of the government.

The government funded Asian Tribune and its editor Kanapathipillai Tambirajah Rajasingam too provides their obedient service to the government. The clandestine web-news media carried a determined campaign to project rivalries between Karuna and Pillaiyan and these were picked up as serious matters by many independent sources. Asian Tribune’s determined campaign also resulted in Karuna leaving the island to the United Kingdom and facing consequence of the Immigration Laws there.

The Eastern Provincial Council which the government wish to project as a model to propagate that it is empowering the minorities democratically is proving that the government is still not ready to empower minorities even under existing provisions of the constitution. - Sri Lanka Guardian