Clandestine Radio Watch 177 Extra
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CLANDESTINE RADIO WATCH 177 Extra
March 17, 2005
CRW is the biweekly online magazine for ClandestineRadio.com, the Web's
only portal on clandestine broadcasting and subversive media.
http://www.ClandestineRadio.com
The full online issue can be read at:
http://www.ClandestineRadio.com/crw/crw.php?id=238
------------xxxxxxxxxx Breaking News xxxxxxxxxx----------------
China (PRC): Interception of Nine Commentaries Message on TV Was a "Good
Thing"
China (PRC): CCP Withdrawals Pass 300,000, News Broadcast in China
China (PRC): Unexpected Program on China's TV: Withdrawing from CCP
............................................
Interception of Nine Commentaries Message on TV Was a "Good Thing"
March 31, 2005
Article originally posted at:
http://www.theepochtimes.com/news/5-3-16/27116.html
By Zhao Zifa
The Epoch Times
During Beijing’s 2005 annual government conferences on the night of March
14 around 9:35- 9:45 p.m., more than eight provincial TV stations and
more than six satellite TV stations were interrupted with broadcasts
about The Nine Commentaries on the CCP.
Initially, many people thought it was a message introducing the beginning
session of the CCP Congress. However, as they continued watching and saw
that it was exposing the CCP, it dawned on them that the TV program
signals had been intercepted. The interception lasted for one to two
minutes.
According to responses from viewers and Beijing investigators, the scope
of this interception covered eight TV stations including Heilongjiang
province, Liaoning province, Jiangsu province, Guangxi province, Henan
province and Hunan province. Since it happened during prime time viewing
at night, many people saw the contents of The Nine Commentaries.
Viewers in Shenzhen said programs in the four satellite TV stations in
Shanghai, Guangxi, Sichuan and Shenzhen stopped suddenly following the
interruption and their TV screens went blank.
Yesterday, Beijing citizen Mr. Zhao and his neighbors were watching
television together. They saw the intercepted program, Nine Commentaries
as well.
Our reporter interviewed Mr. Zhao on March 15. Here is an excerpt of the
interview:
Mr. Zhao: A few of us saw the intercepted Nine Commentaries. It was a
coincidence yesterday. We were just switching channels and then The Nine
Commentaries on the CCP appeared. We saw it first on the Heilongjiang TV
station.
Reporter: Were you very surprised at seeing this?
Mr. Zhao: Not at all, I was glad because we depend on outside media to
understand the situation in China. Everything they (the CCP) propagate
are lies, nothing they say is true. We need to hear a different voice; we
can’t let them continue to deceive people everyday.
People in Beijing call them (the CCP) "the embezzlement party"- they come
from all walks of life and come together for a common goal, embezzlement.
Reporter (laughing): It seems you are trying to be funny?
Mr. Zhao: Yes, people in Beijing can only try to find a balance through
our own efforts. The TV interception that happened yesterday was a good
thing. It would be best if there is a segment everyday.
Reporter: Is there anyone who does not know what the Nine Commentaries is
about?
Mr. Zhao: We all know because we have read it. The Nine Commentaries has
been passed amongst ten different people that I’m acquainted with.
Everyone commented that it is well-written.
Another Beijing female viewer commented: I did not see the interception.
That’s excellent! This is great news. All the police in our station have
seen The Nine Commentaries. They always read The Epoch Times. I tell them
to keep an escape route ready for themselves.
(The Epoch Times Mar 16, 2005 via N.Grace-USA for CRW)
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CCP Withdrawals Pass 300,000, News Broadcast in China
March 16, 2005
Article originally posted at:
http://www.theepochtimes.com/news/5-3-16/27101.html
By Zeng Ni
The Epoch Times
Around 11:30 am on March 16 (Beijing time), The Epoch Times reported that
the number of people who withdrew from the CCP exceeded 300,000. At the
same time, the Chinese official news agency, Xinhua News, confirmed that
the signals of many TV stations were intercepted and the news of the
withdrawals were broadcast in China on the intercepted signals.
First Time TV Broadcast On The Withdrawals And The "Nine Commentaries"
Seen in ChinaAccording to an Epoch Times reader, on the night of March
14, the signals of more than eight provincial TV stations and more than
six satellite TV stations were intercepted and replaced with broadca
sts about "The Nine Commentaries On The CCP" and the withdrawals from the
CCP. The longest broadcast lasted five minutes. TV stations intercepted
include Xindongfang, CCTV1, a satellite TV station in Jiangsu, and cable
TV stations in Sichuan, Heilongjiang, Anhui, Xinjiang, and Guangxi
Provinces.
Official Confirmation On the Interception
The China official news agency, Xinhua News, confirmed that the signals
of many TV stations were intercepted. On March 15, the Hong Kong office
of Xinhua released the news report titled, "Satellite intercepted by
Falun Gong again, Asia Satellite Telecommunication Co. (AsiaSat) strongly
condemns interception." In the report, it said that "at 9:34 pm on March
14, 2005, six C-band transponders of AsiaSat's 3S satellite were
interfered with by the signals with Falun Gong content which stopped
normal TV programs of several provinces renting those transponders."
A visitor to the Xinhua website posted a message following the news
report, "Why claim it was Falun Gong? There was no such propaganda, only
the withdrawal from the CCP. What did this have to do with Falun Gong?
You should report after you find the real criminal."
There was another message saying, "I can't visit several websites. Who
interfered with them?" implying the CCP blockage of sensitive websites.
Number of People Withdrawing From The CCP Continues To Increase
DramaticallyIn March, the number of people who withdrew from the CCP
increased dramatically. By the end of February, the total number of
people who withdrew from the CCP was only 77,207. By March 10, the number
exceeded 200,000. On March 14, the number was over 250,000 and on March
16, it jumped above 300,000.
Volunteers Provide Services For People Wanting To Withdraw From The CCP
To accommodate the increasing huge demand of resigning from the CCP,
volunteers overseas offered various services to people who want to
withdraw, including setting up service centers in many Chinese
populated areas in many countries.
On March 11, Sound Of Hope radio station offered free message recording
service and free Internet telephony (Skype) for people who wanting to
withdraw from the CCP to publicly express their withdrawals.
(The Epoch Times Mar 16, 2005 via N.Grace-USA for CRW)
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Unexpected Program on China's TV: Withdrawing from CCP
March 15, 2005
Article originally posted at:
http://www.theepochtimes.com/news/5-3-15/27055.html
By Pu Huien
The Epoch Times
HONG KONG - At 9 p.m. on March 13, "a statement to withdraw from the
Chinese Communist Party (CCP)" popped up on the TV screen when Hong Kong
residents were watching a Chinese satellite TV program. It lasted for
about a minute. Then, the TV play was resumed. One hour later, the TV
station stopped all its programs.
Mrs. Zhang, a resident of the North District of Hong Kong, called The
Epoch Times and said that when she and her family were watching Jiang Su
Satellite TV programs at home, the screen was paused suddenly, and then
there appeared a stationary image of white characters on a red
background, which was "A Statement to Withdraw from the Communist Party."
A male voice read the statement.
Mrs. Zhang said that although she couldn't remember the details of the
statement, the general idea is to tell the Chinese audience that the
doomsday of the Chinese Communist Party is approaching. The party has
committed tremendous sins against Gods and Buddhas. Gods want a final
settlement with it. Also it said, those who joined the organizations of
the CCP have been branded with the mark of the beast. They'd better
withdraw quickly from its organizations so as to erase the mark. It's
better to seize this good opportunity, etc. The special broadcast went on
for about 1 minute, and then programming returned to normal.
Mrs. Zhang said that from the mansion where she lives residents can
receive TV programs of several provinces from Mainland China. The
statement to withdraw from the CCP appeared while she and her family were
watching a TV play named "Xiang Zhang Shu." About one hour later,
programming on this TV station stopped, and nothing could be seen on it
any more. Mrs. Zhang thought that "probably the manager of this station
is being investigated."
When talking about "Nine Commentaries on the Chinese Communist Party,"
Mrs. Zhang said that she got a newspaper edition of them on the street.
She says, "The content is excellent, and it is worth reading."
She admires those who dare to declare "the statement to withdraw from the
party." She said under the Chinese Communist Party's pressure, those
people who bravely do this action will suffer inhuman persecution should
they be found out.
(The Epoch Times Mar 15 via Grace-USA)
------------xxxxxxxxxx Miscellaneous xxxxxxxxxx----------------
China (PRC)
AsiaSat Probes Falun Gong-related Hijack of Satellite Transmissions
March 16, 2005
Article originally posted at:
http://www.japantoday.com/e/?content=news&cat=7&id=330922
Kyodo News
HONG KONG — Asia Satellite Telecommunications Co said Tuesday it has
launched an investigation into Monday's interruption of its satellite
transmissions with signals carrying content related to the Falun Gong
spiritual movement, banned in China.
The company said in a statement that six transponders on its AsiaSat 3S
satellite were deliberately interrupted by illegal signals, repeatedly
carrying Falun Gong-related content.
(Kyodo News Mar 16 via Grace-USA)
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China (PRC)
AsiaSat Says Transmissions Interrupted by Falun Gong Content
March 15, 2005
Text of report in English by official Chinese news agency Xinhua (New
China News Agency)
Hong Kong, 15 March: Asia Satellite Telecommunications Co. Ltd. (AsiaSat)
announced here Tuesday [15 March] that the transmissions of its satellite
were deliberately interrupted by illegal signals, reportedly carrying
content related to Falun Gong.
The company expressed its strong condemnation of the incident at a press
conference here. Falun Gong, an evil cult, was banned in China.
Six C-band transponders on an AsiaSat 3S satellite were interrupted by
illegal transmissions carrying Falun Gong-related content at 9.34 p.m.
[1334 gmt] Monday, which caused a break in service of TV programming on
several provincial TV channels in Chinese mainland, the company said in a
statement.
This is the second incident to the company after a similar one on 20
November last year, the statement said, accusing the deliberate attack of
seriously violating international telecommunications treaties,
contravening international regulations and being in breach of the normal
conduct of satellite operations.
The company said it strongly condemns such behaviour and reserves the
right to take the appropriate action under the law, adding that the
AsiaSat has initiated an inquiry and the findings will be released in due
course.
AsiaSat is a wholly owned subsidiary of Asia Satellite Telecommunications
Holdings Ltd., whose major shareholders include China's state-owned
conglomerate CITIC Group.
Source: Xinhua news agency, Beijing, in English 1333 gmt 15 Mar 05
(BBC Monitoring Mar 15, 2005)
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China (PRC)
Falun Gong Denies Sending China Pirate Signals
March 16, 2005
Reuters
HONG KONG, March 16 (Reuters) - The Falun Gong spiritual movement
dismissed on Wednesday accusations by a Hong Kong-based satellite
operator that it had hacked into a satellite to beam transmissions
into mainland China.
"The accusation is completely groundless, we do not know what this whole
thing is and we do not know who may be doing it," said Kan Hung-cheung, a
Hong Kong-based spokesman for the group.
China's official Xinhua news agency reported on Tuesday that Asia
Satellite Telecommunications Co Ltd (AsiaSat) said Falun Gong interrupted
transmissions on Monday on several provincial channels to broadcast
information about the group into China, where Falun Gong is banned as an
"evil cult."
AsiaSat accused Falun Gong of a similar operation on November 22. At that
time, a Falun Gong spokeswoman in Hong Kong said she knew nothing about
any hacking.
Xinhua said AsiaSat condemned the illegal transmissions at a news
conference in Hong Kong and reserved the right to take legal action.
Beijing banned the Falun Gong in 1999 after 10,000 members besieged the
compound of the Chinese leadership in the capital to demand official
recognition for their faith.
But the movement, which combines Taoism, Buddhism and traditional Chinese
breathing exercises, remains legal in Hong Kong, a former British colony
that returned to Chinese rule in 1997.
A Falun Gong Web site, www.clearwisdom.net, says that in the past five
years China has tortured more than 1,121 practitioners to death, jailed
at least 6,000 and sent more than 100,000 to labour camps. The figures
could not be independently confirmed.
Two years ago, China accused the Falun Gong of hijacking satellite
signals to disrupt state media broadcasts, saying it had pinpointed the
origin of the disruption to Taiwan.
(Additional reporting by Tan Ee Lyn in Hong Kong)
(Reuters Mar 16, 2005 via N.Grace-USA for CRW)
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Kurdistan (de facto)
In Iraq, Iranian Kurd Rebels Hope for Their Moment
March 16, 2005
By Seb Walker, Reuters
Despite growing US-led pressure on Iran, Alizada is quick to play down
the prospect of linking up with Western powers to try to bring down the
Islamic government that has ruled in Tehran.
FROM the military bunker which serves as his office, Ibrahim Alizada can
glimpse the snow-capped mountains of his homeland as he plots the
downfall of Iran’s Islamist government just 50 km away.
Alizada, who fled Iran in 1985, heads the Iraqi branch of Komala - an
Iranian Kurd socialist party which gives succour to Kurds crossing into
Iraq to escape persecution in Iran. About 1,000 Iranian Kurds live in the
party’s hillside compound near Sulaimaniya, in the heart of northern
Iraq’s Kurdish zone, and nearly a third are trained guerrillas. Each week
dozens more arrive.
"We’re getting about six new arrivals every day. Of these, we usually
accept two or three," said grey-haired Alizada, who describes himself as
an intellectual. His group takes on about 30 trainees each month, half of
which are sent back into Iran to conduct "clandestine activities" after
receiving training at the mountain camp, he says.
Despite growing US-led pressure on Iran, Alizada is quick to play down
the prospect of linking up with Western powers to try to bring down the
Islamic government that has ruled in Tehran since the 1979 revolution
that overthrew the Shah. "We can’t rule that out, but we think it’s
unlikely," said Alizada, adding that his party receives no support from
Washington, although, "they close their eyes to our activities." "We
don’t expect changes in the short-term - perhaps two or three years ...
we are waiting for the people to start changing the situation (in Iran),"
he said, somewhat wistfull
y.
Ready to fight: Kurds, perhaps the world’s largest ethnic group without a
nation, number about 20 million spread mostly across Syria, Turkey, Iraq
and Iran. They enjoy the most strength and autonomy in Iraq, where there
is a Kurdish regional government.
Komala is just one of several Iranian Kurd political parties now based in
the Kurdish zone of northern Iraq, and the region is also home to around
10,000 Iranian Kurd political refugees.
As well as Komala, the Kurdistan Democratic Party of Iran also draws wide
support from the exile community.
The groups have differing ideologies, which has led to friction in the
past, but activists say there is a new-found sense of unity - seven
Iranian opposition groups, including the main Kurdish ones, have signed a
co-operation pact.
Iraqi Kurd officials acknowledge the presence of politically active
Iranian Kurd groups in their region, which encompasses three provinces of
northern Iraq, but say military activities are both non-existent and
prohibited. Iranian Kurd groups participated in the 1979 overthrow of the
Shah, but fell out with the central government due to the Shia Islamic
revolutionaries’ hardline religious principles - Kurds, while more
secular, are predominantly Sunni Muslims.
After years of armed resistance in the Kurdish region of western Iran,
many fled to Iraq pursued by Iranian forces who staged frequent
cross-border raids to eradicate subversive elements - Komala’s camp was
attacked three times in the 1990s.
These days, the bomb shelters, which protected Komala’s members from
Iranian missile and mortar attacks, are used only for practice drills.
But the group has its own expanding militia force and armed guards keep
watch over the camp.
In one of its huts, young men and women in traditional Kurdish military
uniform gather for a lesson in political thought. Each holds a
Kalashnikov rifle and listen attentively as their teacher outlines the
ills of Iranian society. "Women must defend themselves from the suffering
they endure in the Islamic Republic. Any revolution which does not
include women will fail," is one female trainee’s fierce response to a
question about sexual equality.
Rumblings of dissent emanating from within Iran hearten many of the camp
members, but there is suspicion over the wisdom of any Western-backed
direct intervention.
"Iraq is a good example. The US came here and liberated the area, but
people are still being killed here every day," said Shoresh Salahi, 26,
who left Iran seven years ago. "We are ready to fight if necessary ...
but we don’t think the US is trying to help the Iranian people. They have
their own interests at heart."
Waiting game: Salahi said fomenting change in Iran indirectly and through
the media was preferable to joining up with external forces, and that
seems to be the focus of the group’s activities.
From a makeshift recording studio in another section of the camp,
subversive radio programmes are broadcast across Iranian frequencies. The
party also publishes a newspaper and leaflets intended for distribution
inside Iran.
But having seen their Iraqi Kurd neighbours first rid themselves of an
oppressive government and then win a powerful voice in their own country,
some Iranian Kurds are eager for action.
Sultani said that because of discrimination against Kurds and women, she
was barred from certain university courses and could earn only $30 a
month despite as a physiotherapist.
Pointing to the improved situation for Iraq’s Kurdish minority, she said
she hoped for a similar scenario in Iran.
"With the help of the international community we can remove the
unbearable segregation which exists within our society," she said.
(Reuters Mar 16, 2005 via N.Grace-USA for CRW)
------------xxxxxxxxxx Team CRW xxxxxxxxxx---------------------
Martin Schoech, Editor in Chief
Achraf Chaabane, CRW North Africa
Nick Grace, CRW Washington
Takuya Hirayama, CRW Japan
Robert Petraitis, CRW Baltics
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