IBC in turmoil

(October, 11, London, Sri Lanka Guardian)The illegal and unregulated satellite radio station International Broadcasting Corporation (IBC) of the proscribed Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) operating from South West London is experiencing turmoil due to mismanagement. It broadcast can be heard through Astra, Eutel and Hotbird satellites.
The radio also broadcast via medium wave Spectrum Radio daily at a premium priced airtime between 19.00 hours and 21.00 hours daily. IBC news and programmes are rebroadcast by other LTTE front radio stations in Canada and Australia.

The radio broadcast suddenly went off the air and sombre instrumental music was broadcast for few hours. Following this, irregular and disturbed broadcasting took place for couple of days last week.

Inquiries made with close circles of IBC revealed, the broadcasting station premises in South London had been forcefully entered by the landlord and taken control of the premises due to non payment of rent amounting to £60,000. There was infighting between two factions at IBC before the landlord entered the premises. One faction was demanding the controlling group to show the financial details of IBC when they were not paid their salaries. Scuffles had broken out between both factions.

IBC came under new management when LTTE’s Vanni based Veerakathy Manivannan alias Castro sent his nephew Ramanan to take full control of the radio station. Ramanan is being accused of high handed behaviour and there are serious accusations about his approach towards two female members of staff. He has been accused of abusing his authority of direct links with the Vanni leadership of the LTTE when he entered into a relationship with a female member of staff and made her pregnant.

Since his appointment, substantial part of the advertising revenue and sponsorship income generated by the IBC is said to have been sent to Vanni by him. He had done this to impress his uncle Castro and the LTTE leaders. Following implementation of the proscription of the LTTE under the Terrorism Act, funds were not forthcoming from the London hierarchy of the LTTE said the sources. IBC office was one of the collection office for the LTTE fundraisers until LTTE’s London head Shanthan was arrested by the anti-Terrorism Unit of the Metropolitan Police.

Sources also confirm the head of Valvai Holdings Sri based in Croydon who controls part of the LTTE finances in London has also refused to come forward to bail out the IBC due to the factional infighting. He had been the rescuer of IBC on many occasions in the past.

Ramanan with the backing of LTTE’s Sockalingam Karunalingam alias Kannan worked tirelessly to get the radio broadcasting going. They used the IBC’s standby facilities held in a house nearby to carryon the broadcasting. It is now known that IBC is run by two persons operating from the said house with the standby equipment.