US embassy cable - 04COLOMBO1703

UNCLAS COLOMBO 001703 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
STATE FOR SA/INS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PTER, PGOV, CE, LTTE - Peace Process, Political Parties 
SUBJECT: SRI LANKA:  KARUNA FACTION FORMS PAPER TIGER PARTY 
 
REF: COLOMBO 1588 
 
1.  (U) On October 12 the Tamil vernacular media received a 
press release announcing the formation of a new political 
party by Karuna, the former Eastern military commander for 
the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), who split with 
LTTE headquarters in March.  (Note:  Karuna fled the East 
after the break and is widely believed to be living in 
another Asian country.  Since the split, LTTE headquarters in 
the north, in an effort to reassert its control, has killed a 
number of Karuna cadres, including his brother.)  According 
to the press release, the new party, named the People's 
Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, is dedicated to the 
restoration of the rights of the Tamil people, who have been 
"misguided by the terrorist Prabhakaran. . . .We started our 
struggle against the government  . . . but today we have to 
fight to be liberated from Prabhakaran."  The announcement, 
signed by "Secretary Gnanarajah," offers a website and an 
e-mail address (www.tmvp.org and contact@tmvp.org, 
respectively) but, not surprisingly, no telephone number. 
Also not surprising is the fact that the Batticaloa street 
address listed for the "office" provides only a road name 
(Lake Road, a big main thoroughfare in Batticaloa) with no 
identifying house number.  Like its name, the party's logo 
depicted on the website looks suspiciously similar to the 
LTTE logo, with just a few variations in color and detail. 
 
2.  (SBU)  Sources in Batticaloa, whose residents live in 
fear of the continued factional fighting and periodic LTTE 
reprisals against suspected Karuna sympathizers, reported no 
public reaction (other than skepticism) to the announcement 
of the new "party."  One contact attributed the apparent lack 
of interest to fear of being identified as a member of the 
new rival movement.   Even people who know each other well, 
he said, are circumspect in their comments. 
 
3.  (SBU)  Comment:  The new party's similarity in name and 
logo to the LTTE is an obvious and intended affront to the 
Tiger leadership in the north.  Despite its identification 
with Karuna, we believe the real father of this party is 
Douglas Devananda, head of the Eelam People's Democratic 
Party (EPDP) and former anti-LTTE paramilitary-turned-Cabinet 
Minister.  Following Karuna's split last March, Devananda 
infuriated the LTTE leadership by publicly offering to set 
Karuna up in politics.  In September Devananda claimed to 
poloffs that he was in constant contact with Karuna and was 
prepared to help him launch his party at the propitious 
moment.  (Note:  The EPDP Spokesman disavowed any knowledge 
of the press release when we contacted him October 12.)  Why 
now is the propitious moment is unclear, but the recent 
murder by the LTTE of Karuna's deputy and brother (Reftel), 
coupled with the absence right now of much of the LTTE 
leadership on a highly publicized visit to Europe, could be 
factors.  That said, with Karuna out of the country and his 
followers either dead or on an LTTE hit list, we do not 
expect this party to register with the Election Commission or 
conduct a successful membership drive anytime soon.  For 
right now, we expect Karuna's People's Liberation Tigers of 
Tamil Eelam to remain very much a paper tiger. 
LUNSTEAD