Karuna-the much wanted but missing factor

ON reading the barrage of charges levelled against the Government of Sri Lanka by the LTTE's Chief Negotiator, Anton Balasingham, at Geneva in his opening remarks last week, he has dared for the first time to officially accept the existence of the Karuna Group -the renegades from the LTTE's Vanni leadership, who are now being called paramilitaries armed and supported by the Government.

The LTTE does not accept the Government's insistence that it is not involved in any way with the Karuna or any other group, while the SLMM has stated very clearly that the Sri Lankan Armed Forces are not acting in collusion or collaboration with any paramilitary groups.

But this does not tally with the LTTE's thinking and calculations. Nearly four years to the date since the Government disarmed the paramilitary groups named in the CFA - EPDP, PLOTE, and the EPRLF (Varathar) groups - the LTTE states for the first time that they are still active and even goes to the extent of giving alleged maps of the locations of their training camps.

They did not make it clear as to why they took so long to produce this alleged evidence. Mr. Balasingham is also silent as to how so many members of these political parties - even those who had left them, were killed so easily by its pistol gangs, alias political activists in Government controlled areas, all these four years, if these paramilitary groups were still active. They have also now found the Karuna group and another named Jihad.

After a long list of definitely acrimonious allegations against the Government, with little explanation of the prevailing ground situation, Balasingham concluded his opening statement stating with an assumed sagacity that "there was no purpose for us to enter into a recriminatory debate, making accusations and counter accusations against each other over the abuses of the truce."

Admitting to violations of the truce in one breath he next says: "Instead of acrimonious bickering that might poison the atmosphere of goodwill, it would be prudent to engage in a constructive discussion exploring ways and to stabilize and strengthen the Ceasefire Agreement."

The Tiger cunning

These closing sentences of faked statesmanship in Balasingham's initial presentation were a good ploy to silence the Government into not exposing the extent and nature of the LTTE's violations of the CFA.

It was all very good for the LTTE to make acrimonious statements, and lay down a whole list of untruths and half truths in the form of allegations of CFA violations by the Government.

Having done that the wise Balasingham's message was: "Why go into all the gory details that will come out when you make your case? We do not wish the world to know anything about them. So why not settle down to strengthening and stabilizing the CFA?"

The truth being that what the LTTE feared was not an acrimonious debate, but the Government in turn detailing the factual situation as to how the LTTE had consistently violated the CFA thousands of times, since it was signed four years ago, and transformed what was believed to be a truce into a war according to its own strategies, deciding where, when and who it will attack.

That the Government did not give in to this ploy was only to be expected. It raised important issues of human rights, stressed on the issue of child soldiers and also made a very firm condemnation of the assassination of the late Foreign Minister Lakshman Kadirgamar by the LTTE.

Whether the LTTE thinks these are acrimonious issues or not they require to be brought to the notice of the international community, and with the gravity they demand.

The search for Karuna

A careful reading of Balasingham's statement makes it clear that although the name Karuna is mentioned only once, the fact is that Karuna has more than crept under the skin of the LTTE leadership.

There was a very credible report sometime ago, that Prabhakaran who met a foreign peacemaker from Japan, who happened to mention the name of Karuna, had shouted in fury and said that the name was not to be mentioned again.

The fury against Karuna was such that even LTTE cadres were prohibited from using his name. But Karuna remains a problem for the LTTE.

I am referring here not to the once deputy leader of the LTTE's military wing, who sat next to Prabhakaran at the latter's only meeting with the media in April 2002.

I also do not refer to the same man who dared breakaway from Prabhakaran's ranks, and exposed how the Eastern cadres were being exploited by the Vanni leadership.

I am not referring to the man for whose capture even the Sri Lankan armed forces gave certain facilities to the LTTE, or at least turned a blind eye when the initial attack on the Karuna faction took place, soon after it challenged the Vanni leadership.

I am looking here at the deeper concept of Karuna, the spirit of pity, compassion and kindness, which is nowhere seen in any of the LTTE's statements or demonstrated in its actions.

It is this Karuna that the LTTE must track down and become attached to, if it to be taken seriously about all its concern for the Tamil people, and even claim to fight for their liberation.

The absence of Karuna, towards your own people, making them your vassals, silencing all dissent among them, depriving them of the right to vote, and keeping them in the thrall of the guns of the LTTE, is the total absence of Karuna, and will continue to be a problem for the LTTE as the Tamil people begin to gather more courage to challenge their rulers in the Vanni.

It is this Karuna, the pity, compassion and kindness to one's own people, as well as to other peoples living in one's midst, that can set up the LTTE, if ever it is possible, as true leaders of the Tamil people, whatever its claims to be their sole representatives.

The LTTE has to launch a real search of Karuna, that Karuna that is found in all human beings, and demonstrate an essentially humane aspect that may be lingering, albeit hidden within them, if they are to convince, not just the Government of Sri Lanka and other ethnic groups in our country of its sincerity of purpose on behalf of the Tamil people, but also to those in the international community who are now watching their moves with greater care.

Hunting down Karuna the man, and when one is unable to do it, calling on the Government of Sri Lanka to do so, is not the solution to the crisis facing the LTTE today. It is the need to seek and embrace the true principle of Karuna and not seek the elimination of Karuna, in whatever form.

Extinguishing the principle of Karuna is certainly no solution to the LTTE's problems and will not help in its alleged search to strengthen the CFA and make it more effective. Instead the LTTE and the Government too should look deeper at instilling the spirit of Karuna in implementing the CFA.

Let Karuna thrive and terror be vanquished by its power.