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

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