The Colonel Karuna Faction is a militant splinter group of the Sri Lankan terrorist organization Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE). Formed in March 2004 by top LTTE military commander Vinayagamoorthi Muralitharan (alias Colonel Karuna), the group is a Tamil nationalist outfit who allegedly fights to uphold the rights of Sri Lanka's eastern Tamil population. <P><br />The native Tamil population of Sri Lanka is concentrated in the north and east of the country. Differences in the history between these two regions have led to numerous cultural, social, and economic differences between the respective Tamil populations in those areas. In Sri Lanka's civil war, the leadership of the LTTE has been dominated by northern Tamils who generally enjoy more educational opportunities and a higher standard of living than their eastern counterparts. <P><br />An eastern Tamil, Colonel Karuna joined the LTTE in 1983 and quickly established himself as a top military commander in eastern Sri Lanka. Somewhat ironically, his greatest military successes would come in the north. In the late 1990s his units repelled a major Sri Lankan army offensive and captured several strategic areas, which cemented LTTE control in the northern region. Karuna was soon named to the top LTTE military post in eastern Sri Lanka and was part of the negotiating team that brokered a 2002 truce with the Sri Lankan government. <P><br />In 2004, however, Karuna announced that he was splitting from the LTTE. Karuna believed that the northern-led LTTE was exploiting his eastern Tamil forces and he was also upset at the assassination of non-Tamil politicians by the LTTE without his permission. Some 6,000 armed cadres out of a total LTTE force of 15,000 joined Karuna. Compared to the LTTE, the Karuna Faction is relatively more moderate. Upon its foundation, the group immediately expressed its desire for a peace settlement with the government, and as opposed to the LTTE, the Karuna Faction sees autonomy rather than independence as a solution to the Tamil question in Sri Lanka. Colonel Karuna also announced his opposition to the assassination of Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in the early 1990s (carried out by the LTTE) and welcomed India's role in the peace process. <P><br />Immediately after the schism, the LTTE launched an all-out war against the Karuna faction. Attacks on both sides caused the deaths of hundreds of cadres and suspected supporters. Within a month, the LTTE had effectively subdued the group with many of Karuna's men laying down their arms and rejoining the LTTE. However, many observers believe that the Karuna Faction simply went underground and never intended to win a victory over the LTTE. <br /><br />