Intelsat said May 17 that the satellite operator is unaware of any communiqués from the U.S. Department of Justice with regard to the unauthorized broadcasts on the Intelsat 12 satellite by Sri Lanka’s Tamil Tigers, a rebel group labeled by the U.S. government as a terrorist organization.

The Sri Lanka Ministry of Defense reported May 15 that its embassy in Washington, D.C., had logged a complaint against Intelsat "for reneging its promise" to shut down the transponder.

Intelsat stands by an April 24 statement by Phillip Spector, the company’s general counsel, that the group’s use of the satellite is "unauthorized," adding that the company "does not tolerate terrorists or others operating illegally on its satellites."