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India voices concern over VOT
By The Sunday Times Diplomatic Correspondent
The Government of India has expressed serious "concern" to the Government of Sri Lanka over Tiger guerrillas acquiring modern broadcasting equipment for its clandestine Voice of Tigers broadcasting station via Norwegian diplomatic channels.

The Sunday Times learns that India's Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal who was on an official visit to Colombo early this week raised the matter during a meeting with Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

Despite Government claims that the radio station had only a limited range, India's "concerns" has been heightened by the distinct possibility of the equipment being upgraded to reach areas in the southern Indian State of Tamil Nadu.

Exacerbating this "concern" of the Government of India, The Sunday Times learnt, was the apparent cloak of high secrecy over the transfer of six tons of broadcasting equipment. Although one of the Government's peace negotiators, Minister Milinda Moragoda, regularly visited the Indian capital before and after every round of peace talks with the LTTE to brief Indian Foreign Minister Yaswant Sinha, National Security Advisor Brajesh Mishra, and other Indian leaders, no mention had been made of the transfer of the broadcasting equipment.

The Government of India had learnt of the move for the first time only from the Opposition party in Sri Lanka. This was after Parliamentarian Anura Bandaranaike, who was a member of a three-member People's Alliance delegation, briefed Indian leaders.

The Sunday Times learns that questions on how the broadcasting equipment, said to be worth millions of rupees, was procured and handed over to the LTTE without payment of any duty have become a subject of concern not only for the Government of India but also the Opposition.

Several questions are being raised. Who raised the funds to procure the broadcasting equipment? Were diplomatic norms and procedures not violated when an embassy in Colombo imports such equipment, clears it without duty and hands it over to a private organisation? Since diplomatic cargo is not subject to Customs inspection, was the container with the broadcasting equipment examined? These were among the many questions that are being asked.

Premier Wickremesinghe has told Indian Foreign Secretary Sibal that the Government would make available a full report to them. However, it is not immediately clear whether the UNF Government will make a public statement explaining the details.

The secrecy over the transfer of the broadcasting equipment was further confounded after Defence Secretary Austin Fernando wrote to The Sunday Times to say he did not issue any letter to a Police Inspector who accompanied the container-load of equipment upto the Army check-point at Omanthai from where it was moved to guerrilla controlled territory.

He said "....I wish to state categorically and with full responsibility that I, as the Defence Secretary, have not issued any such letter to anyone and accordingly the news item is entirely false as regards the said letter." The Sunday Times stands corrected as regards a letter being issued by the Secretary.

However, Defence Secretary Fernando did preside at a top-level conference at the Defence Ministry where he issued verbal instructions. Among those taking part in the conference were Interior Ministry Secretary M.N. Junaid, Army Commander Lt.Gen. Lionel Balagalle and Police Chief T.E. Anandarajah.

The conference was held to facilitate the movement of the LTTE equipment from government-controlled area to the LTTE-dominated Wanni. It was thereafter that Mr. Anandarajah ordered a police team led by a Chief Inspector to accompany the cargo and a member of the LTTE to Omanthai. At the security forces checkpoint there, Army personnel had wanted to examine the sealed container to which the Chief Inspector had objected. His orders had been to escort it and ensure it was released in that condition.

Brigadier P. Pannipitiya who had been the senior officer on duty at that time had informed Wanni Security Forces Commander Susil Chandrapala. He had clarified the matter with Army Headquarters in Colombo and later ordered that the container be released.

The Sunday Times had also learnt that the deputy leader of the LTTE's Political Wing, Puli Thevan, who is in almost daily telephone contact with Defence Secretary Fernando, had also made several appeals to him to have the equipment released earlier. This was to enable LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran to make his "Maveerar Day" broadcast on November 27. Despite Mr. Fernando's efforts, procedural formalities delayed its release.

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