Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal

Tamil Peoples Liberation Tigers
தமிழ் மக்கள் விடுதலைப்புலிகள்
AbbreviationTMVP
ChairmanSivanesathurai Chandrakanthan
General SecretaryPoopalapillai Prasanthan
FounderKaruna Amman
Founded2004 (2004)
Split fromLiberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam
Preceded byKaruna Group
HeadquartersNo - 91, Vavikkarai Road-01 Batticaloa.
National affiliationNew Democratic Front
Former:
Sri Lanka People's Freedom Alliance
United People's Freedom Alliance
Parliament of Sri Lanka
0 / 225
Sri Lankan Provincial Councils
0 / 455
Local Government
37 / 8,327
Election symbol
Boat
Website
tmvp.lk

Tamil Makkal Viduthalai Pulikal (TMVP; Tamil: தமிழ் மக்கள் விடுதலைப்புலிகள், English: Tamil Peoples Liberation Tigers), formerly known as the "Karuna Group", is a political party in Sri Lanka. It was formed by Karuna Amman (Vinayagamoorthy Muralitharan), a former leader of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, after he defected from the organization in 2004. Initially a paramilitary group that supported the Sri Lankan government in its fight against the Tamil Tigers, the TMVP was registered as a political party in 2007.

Under deputy leader Pillayan (Sivanesathurai Chandrakanthan), they contested their first provincial elections in 2008, winning a majority in the Eastern Provincial Council. Members of the TMVP continued to carry arms until at least 2008 under the auspices of the Sri Lankan government, which they claimed to be for their own safety from the Tamil Tigers. The group was believed to be working with the Sri Lankan Army. They have been accused of human rights violation by local and international human rights organizations.

Following its entrance to democratic politics, the party aligned with the ruling United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA). In 2020, it would align with the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) and manage to win a seat parliament for the first time, with Pillayan winning the most preferential votes in Batticaloa while the party would come in second place in the district. In the 2024 presidential elections, Pillayan pledged to support then-incumbent president Ranil Wickremesinghe in his bid for reelection. The TMVP failed to win any seats in the 2024 general election.