03-08-2004, 11:42 AM
Uneasy calm in eastern Sri Lanka after rebel split
By Lindsay Beck
COLOMBO (Reuters) - A strike in support of a renegade Tamil rebel closed parts of eastern Sri Lanka on Monday, but the area was calm despite a power struggle within the Tamil Tiger ranks that threatens the island's peace process.
Police said the strike in support of Karuna, a powerful eastern commander who broke away from the rebels' leadership in the north, was only partially in force, with some shops closed but other areas seeing business as usual.
"We have extra police in the street, but there is no tension," said Lasantha de Silva, the senior superintendent of police in Batticaloa, Karuna's stronghold.
The Tigers, who have been fighting for a separate Tamil state in the north and east, expelled Karuna on Saturday for "acting traitorously to the Tamil people" but he is thought to command about 6,000 troops whose allegiance remains unknown.
The government and Tigers have been observing a truce since February 2002, which Karuna said his forces will stick to, but the split in the rebel movement previously known for its fierce discipline complicates efforts to restart stalled peace talks.
Peace efforts were already in turmoil because of a dispute between President Chandrika Kumaratunga and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe over how to handle the process that led to a snap general election set for April 2.
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) insist they remain in control, but with their newly appointed eastern command still at the rebels' northern headquarters, residents said the only rebel authority visible in Batticaloa was Karuna's.
"Karuna has not left his office. At present the only leadership in Batticaloa is Karuna," said one resident who did not want to be named.
He said the law courts and police in rebel-held areas had been shut down, and that while schools in Batticaloa were open attendance was low, with fearful parents keeping their children at home.
Local media reported Eastern University had also been closed because of fears of violence.
On Sunday, towns in the area burnt effigies of Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran -- an act that would have been unthinkable before the split.
Thanx: Reuters
By Lindsay Beck
COLOMBO (Reuters) - A strike in support of a renegade Tamil rebel closed parts of eastern Sri Lanka on Monday, but the area was calm despite a power struggle within the Tamil Tiger ranks that threatens the island's peace process.
Police said the strike in support of Karuna, a powerful eastern commander who broke away from the rebels' leadership in the north, was only partially in force, with some shops closed but other areas seeing business as usual.
"We have extra police in the street, but there is no tension," said Lasantha de Silva, the senior superintendent of police in Batticaloa, Karuna's stronghold.
The Tigers, who have been fighting for a separate Tamil state in the north and east, expelled Karuna on Saturday for "acting traitorously to the Tamil people" but he is thought to command about 6,000 troops whose allegiance remains unknown.
The government and Tigers have been observing a truce since February 2002, which Karuna said his forces will stick to, but the split in the rebel movement previously known for its fierce discipline complicates efforts to restart stalled peace talks.
Peace efforts were already in turmoil because of a dispute between President Chandrika Kumaratunga and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe over how to handle the process that led to a snap general election set for April 2.
The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) insist they remain in control, but with their newly appointed eastern command still at the rebels' northern headquarters, residents said the only rebel authority visible in Batticaloa was Karuna's.
"Karuna has not left his office. At present the only leadership in Batticaloa is Karuna," said one resident who did not want to be named.
He said the law courts and police in rebel-held areas had been shut down, and that while schools in Batticaloa were open attendance was low, with fearful parents keeping their children at home.
Local media reported Eastern University had also been closed because of fears of violence.
On Sunday, towns in the area burnt effigies of Tiger leader Velupillai Prabhakaran -- an act that would have been unthinkable before the split.
Thanx: Reuters
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