Karuna Amman alias Vinayagamurthy Muralitharan , the former leader of the Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP) has been released from a British jail and detained in an immigration centre, May 8.
British Home Ministry source said, “ He is detained under immigration powers of the government.”
It is customary for the British authorities to request the Sri Lanka High Commission in London to issue temporary travel documents for him to be deported to Sri Lanka. Those travel documents are different from a passports and a limited to a piece of paper carrying the photograph of the traveller. Sri Lanka High Commission sources in London said so far they have not received a request for the issuance of such a document from the British Home Office.
He fled to Britain, where his wife Vidhyawathie and her three children are living in London and got arrested, November 2 2007 for travelling with a forged diplomatic passport. He was later convicted on the offence and spent time in the jail.
Political analysts say the breakaway of Colonel Karuna, the man who was in charge of the Eastern Province under the LTTE was the beginning of the end of the Tamil terrorist outfit. After his departure the LTTE lost the sprawling Eastern Province to Sri Lanka government security forces. Karuna’s departure is believed to have supplied a pot of gold in intelligence to the Sri Lankan forces to drive away the Tamil Tigers from the province.
During his days under the LTTE he is believed to have carried out the most ruthless commands of his then leader Velupillai Prabhakaran. His child soldiers supplied a constant source of manpower to the LTTE and he once ordered to kill 600 Sinhala and Muslim police officers point-blank in Nazi style, in the Eastern Province jungles of Thirukkovil, after they surrendered to him. Much of the large amount of money Karuna is supposed to have brought from Sri Lanka is believed to have been invested with the help of a Tamil activist living in London owning some Hindu temples and operating with India’s RAW concerning Sri Lankan affairs.
Confusion over fate of Karuna
There was confusion over the fate of Karuna Amman with speculation he was to be released from police custody in Britain and deported back to Sri Lanka while the Metropolitan police last night said he still remained under detention.
Authoritative sources said that the former TMVP leader was, two weeks ago, transferred from the detention centre he was originally held following his arrest in London in November 2007 for possessing a forged passport and firearm.
Speculation subsequently surfaced last night that he was released but when contacted an official at the British High Commission in Colombo said that according to the Metropolitan police Amman still remained in custody as of early yesterday.
Karuna had said in a British court that the Sri Lankan government, through the Permanent Secretary for Defence Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, had given him the passport. On January 25, 2008 he was sentenced to nine months in prison.
Karuna was arrested in London on November 2, 2007 following a joint operation between the Metropolitan Police and the Border and Immigration Agency.
Human Rights groups have sought legal action against Karuna for his direct involvement in alleged human rights abuses in the East.
