Who controls Batticaloa and Eastern Sri Lanka?

Ever since I returned from Batticaloa town a few days ago, every one I meet wants to know only one thing. Who actually has an upper hand in Batticaloa...or indeed the whole of eastern Sri Lanka ?

On the ground in Batticaloa town, it is a breakaway faction of the Tamil Tiger rebels lead by Vinayakamurthy Muralitharan or Col. Karuna that holds sway.

Technically this is government controlled area...but it is the Karuna group and its political wing the "Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Puligal", TMVP or the Liberation Tigers of the Tamil People that dominates the terrain.

Virtually every wall is painted with the letters T M V P. Their political offices across the east operate in areas that are protected by the Sri Lankan Army.

Significantly, the Tamil Tiger rebels have had to wind up their political operations in almost the whole of the east after attacks on their offices and assassination of their political wing members.

It is not uncommon to see armed Karuna cadres walking fearlessly in army controlled areas. It is hard to believe that they are not working with the army...although the government denies it vehemently.
" It is wrong to say that armed cadres of the Karuna group and the army are working hand in hand in the east. They have political offices in the east...there is nothing wrong with that and the security forces will provide security to any political party that seeks security including the TMVP." a government spokesman told me.

" We have given up our claim to a separate homeland for the Tamil people of Sri Lanka or Tamil Eelam, we just want more rights for the Tamil people within a united Sri Lanka. We do not believe there is any solution that will come from a war with the government. That is what differentiates us from the Tamil Tigers." A Pradeep, the eastern region political head of the Karuna group told me when I met him at his office.

"But does that mean that you will give up arms? " I asked him

"We want to transform into a political party and contest elections and we want Karuna Amman to be the Chief minister. But we cannot give up arms as long as the tigers keep killing our cadres and threaten the Tamil people. We gave up arms immediately after the split, but had to take up arms again because the tigers would not let is do our political work. They have killed so many of out people including the brothers of Karuna Amman" he adds
There are many analysts who say that the army's recent successes in the east have been because of the intelligence and tactical support offered by the Karuna group.

It is estimated that the Karuna group has about 5000 armed fighters and is now a significant player in the east. It is not clear if they have any heavy guns...but I have seen some fiberglass boats in their propaganda film.

Karuna is the former eastern region commander of the Tamil Tigers, it was brigades under his command that bailed out the tigers in the North in the past.

The government has a lot to gain by supporting him...no one knows as much about the tactics and operations of the tigers as much as Karuna does.
It is said that Indian and Sri Lankan intelligence agencies have been pumping in millions of dollars to prop up Col. Karuna and his men. But this is something Pradeep denies.
"It is the people of the east that have made our group, and it is for them alone that we fight." he counters.
His men have new uniforms, weapons, trainers and even a brand new media team.
But the tigers do have their strongholds outside Batticaloa town. There is frequent exchange of big gun fire between the army and the tigers.

Traffic is stopped on the roads leading to Batticaloa when artillery fire is exchanged.
The car I was travelling in was stopped for 5 hours in such an incident.
Civilians just get off their vehicles and sit on the roads, patiently waiting for the army to let vehicles move again.

The thundering sound of artillery shells exploding around a nearby army camp, does not seem to bother them too much.

(Copyrights : Rajesh Sundaram)