Rift Among Sri Lanka Tamil Rebels Widens, Says Media

By Scott McDonald

COLOMBO (Reuters) - A split in Sri Lanka's Tamil Tiger rebels -- which would threaten moves to restart peace talks -- has widened with a renegade commander demanding a separate truce with the government, local media reported on Friday.

They said the eastern commander of the rebel group, which waged a separatist war for 20 years until signing a cease-fire two years ago, wanted to cut his own deal.

"Rebel Karuna wants separate deal with government," said the headline in The Island newspaper.

Karuna is the military name for V. Muralitharan, a top Tiger leader who has differed with Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) head Velupillai Prabhakaran in the past, but was also one of the negotiators in peace talks that stalled last April.

A split in the rebel leadership would further complicate peace efforts stalled over a political fight in the south between President Chandrika Kumaratunga and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe that has lead to parliamentary elections on April 2.

It would also be embarrassing to the rebels, who pride themselves on strong code of loyalty and have harshly criticized the political fight, saying it shows that Sinhala leaders are not serious about negotiating peace.

"The differences between Prabhakaran and Karuna arose following LTTE cadres' alleged involvement in the recent killings of non-LTTE politicians in the Batticaloa district," said the Daily Mirror, referring to the killings for a candidate and political activist Monday.

A Tamil source in the Jaffna peninsula said Karuna was also upset "because as the movement grows more junior people are giving him orders."

The Tigers initially denied there was a rift but on Thursday political wing leader S.P. Thamilselvan admitted there was a problem, but said it would be resolved "very soon."

The rebels, who have assassinated leaders for straying from the party line, will hold a news conference at their headquarters in northern Sri Lanka Saturday.

Renegotiating the cease-fire agreement may also be difficult. It was signed between Prabhakaran and the Norwegian government -- which is brokering the peace effort -- and Wickremesinghe and the Norwegians.

Any changes require "the mutual agreement of both parties."

Military officials said the crisis has not caused extra tension on the frontlines.

"We have not heard anything officially. We have been asked to observe the cease-fire as normal in the east," said military spokesman Sumedha Perera.

Trained in India, Karuna is one of the rebels' toughest fighters and won a battle to control the island's main north-south artery, dubbed the "Highway of Death" after 3,500 soldiers from both sides died fighting over it.

The peace process is the main issue in the election campaign, after effort to restart talks to end the 20-year war were cast into doubt in November when Kumaratunga sacked three government ministers after accusing Wickremesinghe of offering the rebels too many concessions.

With the political leaders in Colombo unable to end their rift over control of the peace process, Kumaratunga called a snap election last month.