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Reporters Without Borders Reports on Harassment of NTDTV by Chinese Regime
(Clearwisdom.net) Reporters Without Borders reported on May 25, 2004
that authorities in Beijing have been harassing New York-based television
network New Tang Dynasty TV (NTDTV) since its launch in February 2002 as the
communist regime tries to maintain its control over Chinese-language electronic
media. NTDTV signed a contract with satellite operator New Skies Satellites (NSS)
for Asia transmission but NSS recently stopped the contract after prolonged
financial and political pressure from Beijing. NTDTV has now resumed
broadcasting to China and Asia via Eutelsat's W-5 satellite covering Asia. The report states, "China has showed itself ready to use the most
reprehensible methods to protect its monopoly, including threats, political and
financial pressure and blackmail. Regrettably some Western telecommunication
companies cave in to Chinese pressure and suspend broadcasts of channels that
challenge the Chinese communist party monopoly of the airwaves. Reporters
Without Borders fears that Beijing will keep up the pressure, particularly
against Eutelsat, the French broadcast regulatory agency (CSA) and the French
government, following resumption of NTDTV broadcasts to China and the recent
inauguration of the channel on the Hotbird satellite to Europe and the Middle
East." Netherlands-based satellite operator NSS started broadcasting NTDTV channel
on open signal to Asia on July 1, 2003. But just three days later, NSS encrypted
the signal preventing Chinese satellite dish owners from seeing the channel
because NSS representatives in Beijing received threats of financial reprisals
against the company. In January 2004, the pressure from Beijing was intensified
to ensure that NTDTV was completely excluded from NSS-6 Asia satellite
transmission. NTDTV many times requested NSS to restore the open signal broadcast to Asia
but this request was refused, and on May 1, 2004 the NTDTV transmission to Asia
was stopped. NTDTV offers a range of programs, in particular news programs that provide a
sharp contrast with the propaganda on China's state television CCTV. NTDTV told Reporters Without Borders that other companies, such as
Philippines satellite operator Mabuhay and PanAmSat had refused to broadcast or
host the channel on their satellites for fear of Chinese reprisals. Through CCTV, Beijing broadcasts on 30 different satellite platforms
worldwide, while six is enough to ensure coverage of 99% of the world's
population. Through the massive presence, the regime blackmails operators. In
2002, CCTV left the operator Taipei International because it decided to accept
NTDTV. CCTV signed a new contract after the operator cancelled NTDTV. In
February 2003, the US operator Atlanta ADTH went back on an agreement in
principle to carry NTDTV, for fear of losing contracts with CCTV channels. Since May 1, 2004, NTDTV is once again accessible to satellite dish owners in
China thanks to transmission on the W-5 satellite by the Paris-based Eutelsat. NTDTV is now freely accessible to more than 200 million satellite viewers
worldwide. The channel was approved in April by the French Superior Audiovisual
Council (CSA). Reporters without borders fears that the CSA and the French
government are coming under official pressure from China for this licensing
decision. Moreover, Eutelsat is legally obliged to comply with the principle of
equality of access, pluralism and non-discrimination set out under Article 3 of
the Convention that regulates this company under French law. In addition to leaning on telecommunication operators, the Chinese
authorities have unlawfully several times prevented NTDTV journalists from
working. Its reporters have been refused access to public events and press
conferences in the United States and Europe under pressure from Chinese
officials. Reference Chinese-language NTDTV harassed by Beijing http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=10439 Posting date: 5/29/2004
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