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The Thamil Makkal Viduthalai Pullikal (TMVP) central committee, which convened in Batticaloa on Monday, has been forced to reinstate Karuna Amman as leader of the organization following intense government pressure but the position will only be at a ceremonial level, a TMVP official told the Daily Mirror.
Last week the central committee decided to remove Karuna from the TMVP owing to financial irregularities and Pillayan, who met several Tamil political parties including the EPDP in Batticaloa, told them he was the new leader.
However, as reported in the Daily Mirror last week, there was pressure from the government to reconcile both Karuna and Pillayan factions out of fear the split would lead to inter-factional clashes in the east.
The Daily Mirror now learns that the government had issued an ultimatum to the TMVP to reinstate Karuna as head of the outfit owing to the recognition gained by Karuna after the split with the LTTE as well as the support he rendered in the operations to fight the rebels in the east.
Sources said the government had also threatened to fully disarm the outfit if Karuna was not reinstated as leader, and as a result of the pressure the TMVP on Monday decided to offer Karuna a ceremonial leadership while Pillayan leads the outfit on the ground.
“Pillayan will officially hold the position of vice president of the outfit while Karuna is the head. But Karuna is not expected to return to the country in the near future,” the TMVP official said.
The TMVP has also appointed two committees – political and financial – which will be the backbone of the outfit in future and they include top Karuna associates Iniyabharathi and Thileepan. The two committees will function under Pillayan, sources said.
However Mahesh and Pathmini - the TMVP husband and wife duo who were operating from the TMVP’s Colombo office, have decided not to rejoin the outfit after Karuna fled to London. Meanwhile Pillayan is scheduled to hold a news conference in Batticaloa within the next two weeks to clear the air over the latest developments within the TMVP.
The TMVP is alleged to be involved in several abductions, killings and extortions in the east and there are also allegations that some of their activities occur with the support of certain government elements despite the stiff denial of such allegations by the state.
Daily Mirror
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