03-23-2004, 08:55 PM
Report: renegade Tamil rebel leader warns residents not to help mainstream rebel group
Associated Press, Tue March 23, 2004 02:26 EST . - - COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - (AP) A renegade rebel leader has warned residents of areas under his control not to cooperate with the mainstream Tamil Tiger guerrilla movement, a Tamil Web site reported Tuesday.
``We strongly urge the people ... not to have any secret links with Vanni leadership,'' Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan's faction said in a statement quoted by the independent Eelam Nation Web site. Vanni is the area in Sri Lanka - 's north where the mainstream rebels have their main base.
Muralitharan broke away from the main Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam group on March 3, taking with him more than 6,000 troops, or more than a third of the entire rebel force.
It was the first time that such a warning has been issued by Muralitharan since the split.
``We also warn the people to vigilant about movements of suspicious persons and to inform us immediately if such persons are seen,'' the statement said.
There was no immediate comment from the mainstream rebel group.
In the past, the Tigers have killed members who abandoned their ranks.
But there apparently has been no attempt on Muralitharan's life. That could be a testament to his abilities as a commander who has won some of the Tigers' most decisive battles.
The Tigers began fighting the Sri Lankan army in 1983, accusing the government of discriminating against the country's Tamil minority.
The fighting stopped in February 2002 with a Norwegian-brokered cease-fire, but the rebels walked out of peace talks in April. A dispute over how to deal with the rebellion triggered a power struggle between the country's president and the prime minister which led to a decision to hold snap general elections on April 2.
On the Web:
Tamil Web site: www.eelamnation.com
Associated Press, Tue March 23, 2004 02:26 EST . - - COLOMBO, Sri Lanka - (AP) A renegade rebel leader has warned residents of areas under his control not to cooperate with the mainstream Tamil Tiger guerrilla movement, a Tamil Web site reported Tuesday.
``We strongly urge the people ... not to have any secret links with Vanni leadership,'' Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan's faction said in a statement quoted by the independent Eelam Nation Web site. Vanni is the area in Sri Lanka - 's north where the mainstream rebels have their main base.
Muralitharan broke away from the main Liberation Tigers of Tamileelam group on March 3, taking with him more than 6,000 troops, or more than a third of the entire rebel force.
It was the first time that such a warning has been issued by Muralitharan since the split.
``We also warn the people to vigilant about movements of suspicious persons and to inform us immediately if such persons are seen,'' the statement said.
There was no immediate comment from the mainstream rebel group.
In the past, the Tigers have killed members who abandoned their ranks.
But there apparently has been no attempt on Muralitharan's life. That could be a testament to his abilities as a commander who has won some of the Tigers' most decisive battles.
The Tigers began fighting the Sri Lankan army in 1983, accusing the government of discriminating against the country's Tamil minority.
The fighting stopped in February 2002 with a Norwegian-brokered cease-fire, but the rebels walked out of peace talks in April. A dispute over how to deal with the rebellion triggered a power struggle between the country's president and the prime minister which led to a decision to hold snap general elections on April 2.
On the Web:
Tamil Web site: www.eelamnation.com
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