federalidea.com

by D.B.S Jeyaraj

The internecine warfare plaguing the Tamil Makkal Viduthalaip Puligal(TMVP) in the east may have come to an end at last! An uneasy rapprochement seems to have been effected according to knowledgeable sources.

TMVP supremo Karuna and military chief Pillaiyan have apparently buried the hatchet and reconciliatory moves are in progress.

Karuna remains the leader of the TMVP and Pillaian designated as Deputy leader. Pillaiyan will be in overall charge of operations and administration.

[Karuna seated at the meeting venue in his left Supreme Commander Pillaiyan and in his right Senior Commander Jeyam TamilGuardian]

The various regional commanders will continue to be in charge of their respective spheres of authority. Pillaiyan who was until recently in Trincomalee will now base himself in Batticaloa town and move around all parts of the East.

Iniyabharathi will be in charge of Amparai district and base himself at Thambiluvil;Veera based in Kaluwanchikudi will be in charge of littoral areas from Kalmunai to Aaraiyampathy; Sinnathamby based in Chenkallady will administer areas from Thandavanveli to Kiran and also the Karadiyanaaru area; Riyaseelan based in Vaakarai will be in charge of areas from Kiran to Verugal. Mangalan master will be responsible for Welikanda, Kudumbimalai/Thoppigala and interior Paduvaankarai areas; Markan will be in charge of Trincomalee district.

Pillaiyan will be in charge of Batticaloa town and suburbs and areas adjacent to the lagoon in the western hinterland. In addition he will co-ordinate TMVP administration in all parts of the East and also plan operations.

The TMVP reconciliation was made possible through efforts by concerned persons and groups abroad it is learnt. A series of telephone conversations between Karuna in London and Pillaiyan in Trimcomalee/Batticaloa resulted in both burying the hatchet.

It was agreed then that Karuna would base himself in Colombo and undertake periodic visits to the East while Pillaiyan remained on ground in the East. The detention of Karuna in Britain has caused some uneasiness within the rank and file but seniors are of the opinion that unity within the TMVP is the need of the hour.

According to informed sources the decision for Pillaiyan to move to Batticaloa had been taken prior to Karuna’s arrest . The move was fully approved by Karuna. But the timing had gone awry due to the unexpected arrest of the TMVP leader in London. Pillaiyan’s pre-planned re-location to Batticaloa had come in the wake of Karuna’s detention

Against that backdrop some of Karuna’s loyalists had resented the Pillaiyan take – over despite Karuna’s endorsement. Therefore the new “administrative changes” aroused controversy and a certain amount of strife.

This had resulted in a misunderstanding where Thileepan the political commissar based in B’caloa had consumed cynaide and died. The grenade incident where Sinnathamby was injured in Eravoor is also attributed to internecine TMVP conflict.

The “independent” Mangalan master who rebelled earlier has also accepted the new re-structuring of the TMVP now it is said.

A central committee of 27 people will be the premier decision making body in the TMVP.All regional commanders will be members of this along with others.

Karuna and Pillaiyan have also decided to concentrate on forming a political party. A new political party will be registered in due course with the Elections Commissioner. Though not finalised yet ,sources said that “Thamil Makkal Suthanthirak Katchi” (Tamil Peoples Freedom Party) was likely to be the name of the party.

While the TMVP will be the chief organization the party will be its political front. The LTTE registered the Liberation Tigers Political Front as political party; the PLOTE registered Democratic Peoples Liberation Front as its party. Eelam Democratic Front was the EROS Political party.Now the TMVP is following suit.

The TMVP will also revise its current political stance. It would call for the Northern and Eastern provinces to be recognized as the “Thayagam” (Homeland) of the Tamil speaking people; It would however emphasise that reconstruction and development be given urgent priority for the Eastern province.

The new unity and re-structuring has resulted in a few ‘casualties” too. The husband and wife duo of Mahesh and Padmini who were based in Colombo have called it quits and gone abroad with their family. Padmini is the daughter of Rajan Sathiyamoorthy the TNA candidate and Karuna loyalist killed by the tigers. Mahesh is the son of Sathiyamoorthy’s brother in law who was also killed in the same incident.

The Padmini – Mahesh duo was the political face of the TMVP and interacted with different circles in Colombo. It is said that the TMVP leader had intended rewarding Padmini with a top political post as a token of gratitude for services rendered by her father who paid the supreme price for his closeness towards Karuna.

Azad Moulana will be spokesperson. Rudra alias Thooyavan the former spokesperson may be made political chief in place of Thileeban who bit the cynaide capsule. Thileeban had left Paris and returned to Batticaloa last year.

The buoyant mood within the TMVP as a result of the Karuna – Pillaiyan rapprochement has dampened to some extent after Karuna was arrested in London. If Karuna gets stuck in Britain Pillaiyan will be acting leader. This may not be to the liking of other seniors like Mangalan master, Iniyabharathy and Sinnathamby.

Another unknown factor is the attutude and approach of the different intelligence operatives handling the TMVP. The divisions within the TMVP were widened and sharpened by these elements in a re-play of colonial “divide and rule” tactics. Their response will determine the future of unity within the TMVP.