The broadcasting station’s former policy of demoralizing the fighting forces of Sri Lanka would be the base of many of its broadcasts in the future, many analysts predict.

The Voice of the Tigers (VoT) has announced that it has already started test broadcasts using the FM broadcasting equipment, the terrorist group imported with the help of Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe’s office and Colombo’s Norwegian Embassy.

The equipment, imported to the country as a consignment to the name of Jon Westborg, the Norwegian Ambassador to prevent the terrorist group pay taxes and cleared secretly to the LTTE base in Wanni with the help of Prime Minister’s Secretary Bradman Weerakoon and Defense Secretary Austin Fernando became a point of heavy debate and a controversy even involving the government of neighboring India.

President Chandrika Kumaratunga’s spokesman Janadasa Peiris said the President called security service chiefs to discuss the security liabilities of the country caused by the handing over of not only the broadcasting equipment but also the VSAT satellite military communications earth station, to the country with the broadcasting equipment.

Making matters more complicated for the Ranil Wickremesinghe government, the Defense Secretary Austin Fernando told a London broadcasting station that the military equipment, feared by many to compromise the country’s security, was missing at an inspection he ordered by some officers he claims as experts.

But the Jathika Bhikshu Peramuna, an organization who burned Norwegian national flags in front of the Norwegian Embassy in protest against the Nordic country’s involvement in the island nation’s separatist politics said Austin Fernando’s claim of an inspection was a big lie to cover up the Ranil Wickremesinghe administration and they had evidence that the broadcasting and communication equipment were delivered to the country’s separatist terrorists in unopened containers with specific instructions not to open for any inspection.

Opposition groups have alleged that the Tamil Tigers are planning to use the broadcasting station to help Ranil Wickremesinghe to do propaganda, especially among the Tamils at the next Presidential elections.

VoT sources have announced that the new FM programs would be broadcast at FM 99 from 6.30 a.m. to 8.30 a.m. and 7.30 p.m. to 9.30 p.m. daily

Earlier the unlicensed illegal service was available to only limited pockets in the Vanni from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Opposition sources have charged that the papers for licensing of the new station was prepared after the secret of the import got leaked to the press and the opposition.

The opposition broke the news to the Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Opposition leader Sonia Gandhi by a delegation led by Opposition parliamentarian Anura Bandaranaike. The Indian government has expressed its concern. (EOM)

By Walter Jayawardhana reporting from Los Angeles


(30/12/02 go2lanka.com)