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| Sunday, 7 March 2004 |
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LTTE split : Eastern Muslims worried by P. Krishnaswamy The rift in the LTTE following its Eastern Commander Col. Karuna's recent decision to go it alone has given rise to surprise reactions from leaders of the Eastern Muslim community. They expressed apprehensions that the Ceasefire Agreement which is now in force and the temporarily stalled peace talks will be undermined unless this internal crisis within the LTTE was resolved amicably before too long. They were also of the view that this new development reflected the historical divide between the Tamil-speaking people of the Northern and Eastern regions. Karuna, who has accused the Northern leaders of the LTTE as discriminating against their Eastern cadres, has also blamed them for the recent spate of political killings in the East. He has replaced several regional leaders after ousting their Northern predecessors. M.I.M. Mohideen, Secretary General of the North-East Muslim Peace Assembly, who had worked closely with Col. Karuna and other LTTE Eastern leaders to restore normalcy at times of communal tensions between the Tamil and Muslim communities in the East in the past, said that although he considered Karuna's position as correct in the context of the reasons adduced by him for his decision, it was 'an unfortunate development' which posed a threat to the Ceasefire Agreement and the resumption of the temporarily stalled peace talks. He said: "We will continue to cooperate with him and support him in his efforts to defend the cause of the Eastern people. But it all depends on how LTTE Leader Velupillai Prabhakaran would look at it and settle it." UNF national list candidate for Batticaloa and Political Advisor to the Prime Minister on Eastern Affairs, Alizahir Moulana said that the falling-out of LTTE stalwart Col. Karuna, who had played a leading role in the activities of the movement, was of concern to all peace loving citizens. Although this is an internal matter of the LTTE, the LTTE leadership should settle it quickly in an amicable manner in the best interests of the Ceasefire Agreement, which is now very much intact, and the peace process. Sri Lanka Muslim Congress Secretary General, M.K. Hasan Ali who expressed similar views over the Ceasefire Agreement and peace process being imperiled said "they are not at all happy over this development". Apparently, there had been dissension between the Northern and Eastern sectors of the LTTE for a long time, he said, adding that, unless this was settled quickly, the question of 'who is the sole representative of the Tamils' will arise for conducting the peace negotiations. |
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