Friday, April 26, 2013
Taiwan caves to ChiCom, dismantles shortwave
Media freedom in Taiwan is again under attack by political forces from mainland China, resulting in a sudden decision by Radio Taiwan International (RTI) to dismantle two of its substations. Among RTI’s customers who will lose their contracts are Sound of Hope Radio and Radio Free Asia, which have played an important role in broadcasting uncensored news to the mainland.
Earlier this month, RTI’s largest customer, Sound of Hope Radio (SOH), received a notice that the Huwei substation in Yunlin County will be dismantled beginning June 1. The eight radio antennas pointing towards China will be removed ahead of schedule, and the broadcasting business will also stop at the end of May.
Tainan, another RTI substation in Tianma, will also be dismantled in a few months’ time, according to an insider.
This has caused great concern at SOH headquarters in California. SOH has worked with RTI for over nine years, utilizing RTI’s shortwave spectrum to broadcast independent newsprograms from the West into mainland China.
According to insider information, RTI high-level executives visited mainland China at the end of February. Soon after, RTI announced its intention to take down the two substations.
Following the removal of the substations, RTI will terminate all its rebroadcasting customers and also stop its own shortwave broadcasting, and develop a mobile platform and Internet broadcasting instead, the insider said.
Zeng (Allen) Yong, President of SOH, told The Epoch Times he had rushed to Taiwan as he was very concerned about RTI’s move to terminate its main customers in the name of consolidating substations and eventually ending shortwave broadcasting into China–a matter of great concern to the Communist Party, which censors media in the mainland.
SOH has been doing business with RTI since 2004. At the end of 2009, due to pressure from the Party, RIT wanted to reduce SOH’s time slots by 50 percent. This move alerted the European Parliament and the U.S. Congress. A number of Congressmen publicly spoke out on the matter, forcing the Taiwanese government to step in. Coupled with pressure byTaiwan media, the cutback plan was withdrawn.
“We hope this matter is not a repeat of 2009,” Zeng said. “The Republic of China is a free and democratic country. Free media broadcasting into China plays a big role in bringing truthful information to mainland Chinese. It should be protected and encouraged, rather than suppressed and eradicated.”
Zeng appealed to Taiwan’s President Ma Ying-jeou to pay attention to the matter, saying SOH Radio, Free Asia Radio, and others have played a positive role in broadcasting free information to mainlanders. RTI’s plan to dismantle its substations looks like “some black box operation,” using shortwave radio as a bargaining chip in exchange for political interests on the other side of strait.
Written by Li Miaoren. Translation by John Wang. Written in English by Gisela Sommer.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
This story from the Epoch Times is fully of false information: Epoch Times is leaving vital information out and has created much of the information in it’s story. First Epoch Time is funded by Falun Gone just as New Tang Dynasty Television. While it’s true that the Huwei station is being taken off line. There is a good reason. First: This site is only of the older ones in Taiwan and has many technical issues. Second: These antenna and this site is and was used for targeting South East Asia. Never China. Third: The other site they mention is in the same position as the Huwei site. And broadcasts from these two relays will be moved to the more moden stations. Fourth: RTI managers have met with CRI managers many times before. Fifth: The meeting that took place was at a meeting of Asia broadcasters. Other broadcasters were there. Sixth: These two sites were slated to be cut years ago. Epoch Times is very pro Democratic Progressive Party or PAN GREENS. Ever since Ma Ying Jeou was elected as President of Taiwan Epoch Times and New Tang Dynasty Television have been on a all out attack against the Kuomintang or PAN BLUES. This story is nothing more than political propaganda against the Ma government. It increased when the former DPP and President Chen Shibien was sentenced to 20 years in prison over corruption. The DPP and Falun Gong keep saying these charges are all fake. This is despite the fake that the US Government has seized property with 30 million USD, The swiss Government returned to Taiwan over 20 million in Swiss Bank accounts. Chen’s children who fled Taiwan have an arrest warrant against them for making a transfer of Taiwan state funds to Singapore worth 2 million.
ReplyDeleteTainan is probably going off the air later this year. Epoch Times reports should be taken with a lot of salt, but so should China Daily.
ReplyDeleteThere is no verified information. However, Beijing does take shortwave very serious and regularly jammed / jams Sound of Hope. My perception of the story - with no definite conclusions, as those would be difficult to make - can be found here.
I doubt that the PCJ comment above is authentic. As far as I know, PCJ is run by a Canadian, it's about entertainment, and would hardly comment on politics.
ReplyDelete