Media interest in Karuna’s case

"The news spread like a wildfire that Karuna will be appearing before the Isleworth Crown Court. One of the Sri Lankan media reporters in London went to town to report that he will be sentenced for twenty four months and said Karuna will be charged for war crimes. The Deepam TV and the IBC radio of the LTTE gave heavy publicity about the hearing. They branded Karuna as the leader of the Ottupadai (parasitical force of the government)."

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(January 29, London, Sri Lanka Guardian) The leader of the Tamil Makkal Veduthalai Puligal (TMVP) Vinayamoorthy Muralitharan alias Karuna appeared before the Isleworth Crown Court for sentencing on Thursday 24, January 2008. Sri Lankan and the UK national media showed interest in reporting the case. News appeared in the UK national media about the likely sentencing at the hearing.

United Kingdom immigration laws and rules on asylum became very stringent few years ago. Despite these strict rules, many asylum claimants are still violating them. It is now the position that any asylum claim must be made at the port of entry on arrival and anyone claiming it after entering the country (in-country applicant) will come under strict scrutiny and legal sanctions. Unlike before, anyone found entering the country with falsified documents will face criminal charges before their asylum claim is considered.

There are many Sri Lankans who have been sentenced for entering the country with falsified passports and visa documents. Karuna too came under this category. When he was arrested in a coordinated operation involving the police and immigration officials, he had in his possession a false Sri Lankan diplomatic passport. Immediately upon his arrest, he is said to have claimed political asylum. This led to him being held in immigration detention for just over a month.

Then on 22 December 2007, Karuna was taken to the Heathrow police station and his statement on how he obtained the false passport was recorded. The police brought him to the Magistrate Court within expiry of the remand custody time on 24 December 2007 and Karuna pleaded guilty on the charges readout at the Court. The Magistrate ordered further detention until 24 January 2008 and directed the case to be heard in the Crown Court for sentencing.

The news spread like a wildfire that Karuna will be appearing before the Isleworth Crown Court. One of the Sri Lankan media reporters in London went to town to report that he will be sentenced for twenty four months and said Karuna will be charged for war crimes. The Deepam TV and the IBC radio of the LTTE gave heavy publicity about the hearing. They branded Karuna as the leader of the Ottupadai (parasitical force of the government).

As Karuna had already pleaded guilty in the Magistrate Court, the judges in the Crown Court sentenced him without going through a full hearing. He was given nine months prison sentence after allowing for the time he had already served in detention. This means, he will be released in four and a half months time. It may be that Karuna will be released early for good behaviour in the prison.

The LTTE web media and its gossip machinery went on the bender about Kauna’s imprisonment. There was enthusiasm that Karuna had been sentenced. The rumour mill even spread the story that Karuna has been sentenced for war crimes and that he will be serving two years rigorous imprisonment.

It must be recalled that the UK based LTTE machinery was very buoyant when Karuna was arrested and it actively campaigned for charges to be brought against him for war crimes. There is credible news that LTTE’s Councillor Thaya Idaikader and his men approached a leading firm of solicitors to file action against Karuna for war crimes. The solicitor was very upright and had said any case against Karuna will open the Pandora’s Box and the LTTE too will be heavily implicated. That was it. The persons who wanted justice had to give up their effort.

The media and the LTTE interest in Karuna’s case must be compared with the terrorism charges brought against LTTE’s London head Arunachalam Chrishanthakumar alias Shanthan and its youth wing (TYO) leader Golden Lambert. There was some reporting about Shanthan and Golden being charged under the Terrorism Act. But very little was reported about successive hearings Shanthan had appeared. Very little was said about Shanthan being bailed out by the Court. No one knows when the next hearing is listed.

The national and the Sri Lanka media men were present in large numbers in the Court Room on 24 January 2008 to hear Karuna’s sentencing. These very same media did not show any interest in the London based LTTE men’s case under Terrorism Act. If one considers a hypothetical situation, even if Karuna had committed war crimes, the causes of his crimes had its deep roots in the Diaspora funding of the LTTE. Shanthan and Golden had contributed financially, morally, and logistically towards the LTTE to commit war crimes. A case under Terrorism Act is much serious than a case on criminal charges in a lower court. But the campaign of war crimes against Karuna built the momentum and arose all the interest to report about him.

Even the LTTE’s media Deepam TV, Tharisanam TV and the IBC are maintaining lip tight silence on Shanthan’s and Golden’s cases, knowing very well an unfavourable decision on these cases will have further and far reaching consequences for the LTTE operations in the UK.