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Oslo's training, radio equipment used for killings, claims analyst
Pictured alongside are Norwegian military manoeuvres, which were on display for LTTE personnel, as reported in last week's The Sunday Times. The LTTE was allowed to video these manoeuvres, which amounted to training exercises for the LTTE by the Norwegians.

The presenter of the paper titled "Norway: A terrorist safe haven?'', M. Rovik, who makes these revelations which are all attributed on authority, says, "Norway invited the Tamil Tigers to the Rena military camp on April 1st, 2003 to observe the Norwegian military demonstrate their skills and equipment.''The LTTE was allowed to film all of these demonstrations. This was first revealed by the Asian Tribune on July 25, 2004 in a article titled "India refused to arrange direct talks with the LTTE.''

Rovik, a Norwegian lawyer and a former Council Member of Amnesty International states further that "the Norwegian ex-Special Forces have also been used to instruct Sea Tigers in underwater demolition.''

Among more damning revelations that are now emerging, is the discovery that sophisticated radio equipment provided by Norway to the LTTE is being used to kill Sri Lankan Army intelligence personnel and those politically opposed to the LTTE.

"The equipment received from Norway according to Indian intelligence sources,'' says Rovik was "used actively in the murders of Tamil Tiger political opposition."

Indian intelligence has warned Sri Lanka of this, according to Rovik. The Norwegian provided radio equipment now homes right into the Sri Lankan Presidential Secretariat. Rovik says that conversations by officials in the Presidential Secretariat of Sri Lanka have been monitored by the LTTE via the remote sensing transmitting devices provided by Norway in 2003.

Indian intelligence operatives provided examples of LTTE assassinations carried out using this remote sensing equipment. For instance the LTTE was able to locate telephone conversations between Satchi Master and the Tamil Broadcasting Corporation through this remote sensing device - - and later used this information to murder Satchi Master in the Batticaloa prison. Satchi Master was a Karuna associate who was expelled from the LTTE for alleged misappropriation of funds. He was killed inside the Batticaloa prison by LTTE cadre Mahendran Pulidaran on July 15 this year. Rovik provides further instances of Norwegian direct aid to the LTTE. A Norwegian Tamil Christy Reginald Lawrence was arrested by the Thai police off the Phuket coast, for instance, in a speedboat headed for international waters.

In the boat Thai police discovered sophisticated sonar and GPS systems, satellite phones, combat training videos in Tamil, LTTE calendars and uniforms. The boat also contained a mini submarine. Sri Lankan ambassador in Thailand Karunatilleke Amunugama said that "the submarine was similar to the one seized by the Sri Lankan government from the LTTE in the early 1990s.'' However it was the Norwegian government which put up bail for Lawrence and had him released.

The Thai newspaper “Nation’’ had all the details of this arrest, quoting police captain Pailin Jamjamrat of the Phuket Town police station. The Nation article appeared on June 7, 2000.

Says Rovik in conclusion that "Norway has openly supported the LTTE morally, financially and with equipment enabling the LTTE to kill their political opponents. Norway has been and is the LTTE's most important door opener. Norway has used its foreign aid funds to lubricate journalists, organizations and individuals in Sri Lanka in order for the LTTE to create their own state.''

Rovik's disclosures were first revealed in last week's The Sunday Times, when his paper was read out, along with the accompanying videographic and audio evidence at a seminar of Peace and Democracy in Sri Lanka organized by the WAPS expatriate group and the Sansadya forum in Colombo. When the video was first played at the Oslo conference held by these same organizers in Norway earlier this year, Lisa Golden, Advisor to the Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs was present. When confronted with this evidence, conference organizers say " her reaction was absolutely muted.''

Among those who have received Norwegian (NORAD) aid, was the Milinda Moragoda Institute at 35/3, Idama Mawatha, Colombo 5. The Sunday Times was shown copies of the original document that earmarked this aid for the Moragoda Foundation, which meant that Moragoda was beholden to funds from Norway while he was still a minister deeply involved in the Norwegian mediated peace process.

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