18 Facts About Karuna Amman

Karuna Amman later joined the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, the main constituent party of the UPFA, and on 24 April 2009 he was appointed as a Vice President of the SLFP.

Karuna Amman joined the LTTE in 1983 and became a top commander in the Eastern Province.

Karuna Amman was formerly a bodyguard to LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran.

On 26 July 2004, Karuna broke away from the Tamil Tigers after he alleged they were ignoring the interests of the eastern Tamil people, and claimed to have renounced violence.

The LTTE claimed that the real reason for Karuna Amman's defection was because the LTTE's intelligence wing was closing in on him for alleged financial and personal misconduct, terming his break a "temporary aberration".

However Karuna Amman's group, dubbed the Karuna Amman Faction by the media, continued to maintain a stronghold in the southeast of Sri Lanka with a force estimated to number a few hundred.

Karuna Amman has alleged that Prabhakaran intentionally dragged out peace talks with Sri Lanka to give rebels additional time to re-arm for further combat.

In March 2007, Colonel Karuna Amman, accompanied by Supreme Commander Pillaiyan, Senior Commander Jeyam and other TVMP officials spent two days at a TMVP base in the east.

Colonel Karuna Amman was the LTTE head of the Eastern Province in 1990 when 600 unarmed police officers who surrendered to the group were subsequently massacred.

When Colonel Karuna Amman was part of the LTTE, he was involved in the massacre of Muslims, including the Kattankudy and Eravur massacres in the Eastern Province.

Karuna Amman has categorically denied these allegations in interviews, claiming the LTTE is trying to discredit his party.

Karuna Amman was arrested in London on 2 November 2007, following a joint operation between the Metropolitan Police and the Border and Immigration Agency.

Karuna Amman confessed in court that the government, through permanent Secretary of Defense Gotabaya Rajapaksa, had given him the passport.

Karuna Amman was transferred to an immigration detention centre in May 2008.

The Met Police did not respond and Karuna Amman returned to Sri Lanka on 3 July 2008.

Karuna Amman was then sworn in as Minister of National Integration.

Karuna Amman later claimed that his speech was edited by the media and that he never made such comments.

Karuna Amman called the incident a plot by the UNP, a prominent opposition party, to destroy the reputation of the TMVP and the Sri Lanka People's Freedom Alliance.