Daily News Editorial

The Karuna Saga

Tuesday 03rd November 2015

 

Former President Mahinda Rajapaksa who likes to assume a monopoly for the war victory would do well to pay attention to the remarks made by LTTE renegade Karuna Amman. Speaking to the Indian Express the former Tiger Eastern Commander says that he was accused by his leader Vellupillai Prabhakaran for persuading Anton Balasingham to sign the December 2002 Oslo Declaration which committed the LTTE to explore the possibility of finding a political solution based on a Federal structure within a united Sri Lanka. Karuna was a key delegate alongside Thamil Selvan in the pow wows led by Anton Balasingham on the LTTE side, with Prof. G.L. Peiris leading the Government delegation.

The peace talks as it was known then were held in world capitals beginning with Bangkok (twice) followed by Berlin, Oslo, Tokyo, all cities known for their garish nightspots and high end entertainment. How did a hardcore terrorist allegedly responsible for ordering the cold blooded murder of 600 policemen, the gruesome massacre of a bus load of novice bikkhus, the attack on the Sri Dalada Maligawa, among other atrocities, suddenly go soft and opt for a ‘political solution? One must acknowledge that it is here that Ranil Wickremesinghe played an Ace arranging for the terrorist leaders to get a taste of the world away from their sordid bunkers, the jungles and sun scorched terrain with death stalking them at every moment.

This should be viewed in the context that the Karuna Amman led Eastern Tigers were at the time the lynch pin in Prabhakaran's war machine and it was always these Eastern Tigers that were summoned for the major battles in the North. Had Karuna chose to remain with the outfit it was a safe bet that the war would have dragged on to this very day with several thousands more security personnel and civilians perishing. It was even the view of the Indian security experts that the breakaway by the Karuna led LTTE Eastern faction was the chief reason for the security forces succeeding in eventually winning the war.

One must not forget that Karuna's men fought alongside the security forces following the breakaway. Not just that. They also identified Tiger hideouts in the North and weapons storages not to mention the sea routes that brought in the armaments, that greatly facilitated the forces. In the end it was left to Karuna himself to identify the dead body of his erstwhile leader at Nandikadal.

The saga of the transformation that took place which made a blood thirsty terrorist leader eventually finding himself in Parliament, not to mention his well publicized wining and dining bouts and other escapades involving pretty females indeed would be an interesting topic for the chronicler of the Eelam War. Suffice it to say that non of this would have been a reality but for the deft approach of Ranil Wickremesinghe in opening doors of the world to the cream of the Tiger terrorists that made them juxtapose the mosquito infested bunkers with the bright lights of the world famous night spots.

No doubt Mahinda Rajapaksa presided over the ending to the war .But he should also acknowledge the contribution made by other leaders particularly Ranil Wickremesinghe but for whose strategic brilliance the war would have prolonged to this day. Instead what did the nation witness? The public being brain washed day in and day out that Ranil was a traitor, ever willing to concede to Tiger demands and separate the country. This trash was driven into the public psyche with such force that Wickremesinghe suffered defeat after defeat at elections.

It is time that the public be told that the eventual victory was not the legacy of one individual but a collective effort of leaders since the beginning of the Eelam War in the mid eighties. One should not forget that that the Boxing Day Tsunami also took a heavy toll on the Tigers, almost totally destroying its Sea Tiger assets. The suicide of the cream of Tiger fighters including Jaffna Commander Kumarappan, and Pullendran, known for many a massacre, not to mention the death of Kittu in a mid sea explosion, Mahanttaya et al. also caused a debilitating setback to the LTTE. The major defeats inflicted on the outfit during the stewardship of Gen. Anuruddha Ratwatte in campaigns such as Operations Riviresa, Akunu Pahara etc. also saw depletion of the fighting capability of the outfit to a great extent.

Karuna Amman in his interview says; “Prabhakaran is a good man but he had no knowledge of globalization”. This itself is revealing how these trips to world capitals of this one time hardcore terrorist changed his whole outlook, forcing him back to civilian life and a life of luxury at that. No one will blame Mahinda Rajapaksa for availing of the opportunity to capitalise on the breakaway and use it to the optimum to achieve victory. But at least an acknowledgement is in order to set the record straight, of Wickremesinghe's enormous contribution towards the war victory. Or is this asking too much from a politician who was bent on marketing the war victory for political gain and to remain in power forever?