Media: Split in Sri Lanka Tamil Rebels Widens

By Scott McDonald

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

The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) have waged a separatist war for 20 years until signing a cease-fire two years ago. That cease-fire has held, despite a feud between the country's president and prime minister over the peace process.

A split in the rebel leadership would further complicate peace efforts stalled by the row between President Chandrika Kumaratunga and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe that has led to a snap election on April 2.

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

But in a letter to LTTE chief Velupillai Prabhakaran in an LTTE-run newspaper published in the eastern town of Batticaloa, Karuna said: "Let us function independently under your direct leadership. We are not leaving you, we are not opposed to you."

Karuna is the military name for V. Muralitharan, a top Tiger leader who has differed with Prabhakaran in the past, but was also one of the negotiators in peace talks that stalled last April.

A split will be embarrassing for the rebels, who pride themselves on a strong code of loyalty and have in the past assassinated their own commanders for straying from the party line.

The rebels from the minority Tamil community have harshly criticized the political feud in the government, saying it shows the Sinhalese who dominate Sri Lanka 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 of a candidate and political activist Monday.

The rebels will hold a news conference at their headquarters in northern Sri Lanka Saturday.

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

Karuna's letter to Prabhakaran said: "I want to function directly under you, avoiding the divisional heads of Tamil Eelam."

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

Renegotiating the cease-fire agreement may 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.