Paramilitary faction attacks Karuna camp

[TamilNet, Tuesday, 06 November 2007, 10:55 GMT]
The Meenakam house of the main faction of TMVP (Karuna) paramilitary group, guarded by the Sri Lankan Police, was raided by the rival Pillayan faction Monday night, Batticaloa Police said. Three Karuna personnel have been captured by the Pillayaan faction. Special Task Force (STF), the elite counter-insurgency arm of the Sri Lankan police, has been deployed in other Karuna camps in Batticaloa, strengthening security, Police said.

One of the three persons captured by the Pillayan faction is said to be a key paramilitary operative, known as Thileepan.

The clashes between the rival paramilitary groups have escalated in the wake of news reports that Karuna (Vinayagamoorthy Muraleetharan) has been detained in UK for possessing a forged passport after fleeing Sri Lanka.

Meenakam is located on Koavinthan Road in Batticaloa.