Pro-Government Militias
Karuna Group/Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP) (Sri Lanka)
Basic Group Information
| Name assigned by coder: | no |
| PGM ID Number: | 277 |
| Country: | Sri Lanka |
| Date formed: | March 1, 2004 |
| Accuracy of date formed: | month |
| Details of Formation: | The group is also known as Tamileela Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal/Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP) and Tamil People’s Liberation Tigers. In March 2004, Colonel Karuna and some thousand fighters of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) broke away from the rebel group and formed a separate group that fought alongside the government against the LTTE. |
| Date dissolved: | March 7, 2009 |
| Accuracy of date dissolved: | day |
| Details of Termination: | In March 2009, the Karuna group disarmed due to the defeat of the Tamil Tigers (the civil war ended in May 2009). Varying accounts by news sources report that either only some or the majority of fighters joined the regular forces. In 2011, there were allegations that some TMVP members were still armed, but otherwise there are no more incidents reported. |
| Termination Type(s): | disarmed; integrated into regular forces |
Former and Successor Group Information
| Predecessor group(s): | none |
| Successor group(s): | none |
| Private Military Company? | no |
| Former Group? | yes |
| Former Armed Group? | yes |
| Former Rebel Group? | yes |
| Former Rebel Group UCDP ID: | 320 |
| PGM Becomes Rebel Group? | no |
| Successor Rebel Group UCDP ID: | none |
Government Relation, Support, and Training
| Government Relation: | informal (type 1) |
| Created by the Government?: | no | Main Creating Government Institution: | none |
| Government Link(s): | state (institution); military (institution) |
| If link to party, name of party: | None |
| Training and Equipment: | yes |
| Shared Information and Joint Operations: | yes |
| Shared Personnel: | no |
| Type(s) of Material Support: | domestic government |
| State Sponsor(s): | none |
| Other Connection(s): |
Group Characteristics
| Membership: | ethnic; former rebels; children |
| Primary Membership: | ethnic |
| Alternative Primary Membership: | no information |
| Location: | North east |
| Force Strength: | [2000, 6000] |
| Target(s): | rebels, insurgents, or other armed group; journalists |
| Purpose(s): | protect national borders and integrity; self-defense and security; intelligence gathering; fight insurgents |
Ethnic Characteristics
| Ethnic Target(s): | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Targeting: | not applicable |
| Ethnic Membership: | Sri Lankan Tamils (Sri Lanka) |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Membership: | given |
| Ethnic Purpose: | none |
| Quality of Information for Ethnic Purpose: | not applicable |
Other Information
| Other Information: | In 2007/2008, an internal dispute erupted between Karuna and Pillayan. Therefore, the TMVP was also said to be divided into the Karuna faction on the one side and the Pillayan faction on the other side. Karuna and his faction left the TMVO and joined the Sri Lanka Freedom Party. Pillayan became the new leader and the group stayed pro-government. Today, the TMVP still exists as a party. In 2008 it was accused of creating an unfair election environment by using violence. The group also used child soldiers. |
New Variables from Meta-Analysis
Purpose
| Purpose: | The group fought the Tamil Tigers after breaking away from them. The government also used it for intelligence and to eliminate political opponents. |
| Relative Benefit(s) of PGM Use | unknown |
Treatment of Civilians
| Treatment of Civilians: | The group has been accused of human rights violations such as killings, the recruitment of children, torture, assassination, extortion, kidnappings, abductions, disappearances and death squad activity. It also attacked journalists. Sources report that the government tolerated this behaviour. |
| Type(s) of Violence against Civilians: | kidnapping/abductions; killing; beating; torture |
Reasons for Membership
| PGM Members Coerced? | yes |
| PGM Members Paid? | no information |
| Reasons for Membership: | |
| PGM Members Killed? | no information |
PGM Size
| Size: | 6,000 has been reported as the initial size after breaking away from the LTTE. |
Weapons and Training
| Weapons and Training: |
Organisation
| Organisation: | Reports state that the group worked with the army, which was denied by the government. News sources state that the army provided logistical assistance to the group. |
Reference(s) for Meta-Analysis
Evidence
- Examine the evidence for this coding.