Tamil Guerrilla Avoids War Crimes Charges

Karuna Amman, the Sri Lankan warlord jailed for entering Britain on a falsified visa and diplomatic passport, will not be prosecuted for war crimes and is likely to be deported soon. The former Tamil Tigers leader would not face further charges, the Crown Prosecution Service said yesterday.

Karuna, 45, whose real name is Vinayagmoorthy Muralitharan, has been accused by human rights groups of forcing teenagers to serve as child soldiers, torturing prisoners and killing hundreds of civilians.

He was released from prison last Friday after serving three months for immigration offenses. Karuna, whose wife and children live in London, was transferred to a Home Office detention centre.

The Metropolitan police's war crimes unit has been investigating allegations against Karuna since before Christmas. The police refused to comment yesterday on reports that its officers were denied permission to travel to Sri Lanka to examine evidence against Karuna, who defected from the Tamil Tigers and sought sanctuary with the Sri Lankan government.

The British high commission in Colombo said: "We are deeply concerned that Karuna and his faction have allegedly been responsible for murder and abductions and are still believed to be involved in intimidation and child recruitment."

The Sri Lankan high commission in London and Karuna were both unavailable for comment yesterday.