Clandestine Radio Watch 181

--------------xxxxxxxxxx CRW 181 xxxxxxxxxx--------------

CLANDESTINE RADIO WATCH 181
April 30, 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=241 

------------xxxxxxxxxx Breaking News xxxxxxxxxx----------------

Gambia: Gambian Program Set to Broadcast
Eritrea: New Eritrean Opposition Coalition Launches Radio Station
Zimbabwe: Mugabe Unleashes Wrath on Private Radio Stations

............................................

Gambian Program Set to Broadcast
By Nick Grace April 30, 2005

News of last week's short test transmissions to the Gambia spread rapidly
among exiles, who fired e-mails into their homeland and made a flurry of
phone calls to alert their friends, families and neighbors about the
broadcasts.  With independent media under intense pressure from the
ruling junta the response was immediate and mixed with conflicted emotion
- jubilation and caution.

Save the Gambian Democracy Project (STDGP), a U.S.-based and non-partisan
pro-democracy organization, is calling the test a success, Clandestine
Radio Watch (CRW) has learned, and is preparing the next step to launch
formal broadcasts within a month.  The program is tentatively named
Voices from the Diaspora (Wollof: Baati Haleyi) and will air for thirty
minutes once a week on short wave in English, Wollof and Mandinka.  A
schedule has not yet been established.

Reports poured in instantaneously, according to STGDP spokeswoman Sigga
Jagne, from listeners who checked in via Internet cafes and mobile
phones.  The signal, she said, blanketed Banjul city.  The group is
waiting for word from the interior of the Gambia, where communication is
less stable, but anticipates a similar response.  While most of the
listeners reacted with joy that local news will soon be available from a
source outside of the regime's reach some voiced concern that it will
drive the government into depseration.  "The junta knows that its terror
against the people of Gambia will no longer go unnoticed and unreported,"
Jagne said, "because we will report it.  We are empowering the public
with information and the assurances that they are not alone."

Voices from the Diaspora will serve as an outlet for the entire
opposition movement to promote democracy inside the Gambia and, in
addition to STGDP, will contain programming from the Movement for the
Restoration of Democracy in the Gambia - United Kingdom (MRDG-UK),
MRDG-New York, and a number of grassroots organizations based in Europe.

Developing...

............................................

Mugabe Unleashes Wrath on Private Radio Stations
April 20, 2005

BULAWAYO - Thabani Moyo frantically turns on the knob on his small radio.
Frustration is slowly building up as the minutes tick away.

The 36-year old Moyo, who lives in Zimbabwe's second biggest city of
Bulawayo, is battling with his radio to get the signal on his favourite
radio station that he relies on as a source of news on Zimbabwe for the 7
o'clock evening programme.

But all he gets is an indecipherable, highly distorted reception.

"I wonder what the hell is happening?," Moyo mumbles to himself as he
quickly turns the tune-in knob, switching from one frequency to the other
but without success.

All his efforts to access the channel come to nought. It finally dawns on
him that he has missed the two-hour broadcast from his favourite channel,
a private radio station operating from abroad.

Moyo also realises that there is more to his failure to access the SW
Radio Africa channel than what meets the eye - the station is being
deliberately jammed.

Moyo quickly switches onto another radio channel which also broadcasts
news about Zimbabwe.

"This one is called Studio 7," explains Moyo, "and it's another reliable
source of credible news that has become my alternative. Even my relatives
in rural Nkayi listen to it," he says.

The two private radio stations, SW Radio and Studio 7, are run by exiled
Zimbabweans after an increasingly panicky President Robert Mugabe,
through his former information minister Jonathan Moyo went on the
offensive and shut down all private radio stations which were operating
in the country.

Moyo went on to purge the state media of all journalists who were
suspected of backing the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change
(MDC) party during his four-year grip on the state media.

The former information tsar fought a bruising propaganda war against
Zimbabweans on behalf of the government and deliberately sought to close
all democratic space by shutting down divergent voices in the face of a
stiff challenge from the MDC.

But he lost his post in government late last year after seeking to block
the rise of Joyce Mujuru to the country's vice-presidency, a key post in
ZANU PF's succession war.

About four private newspapers, including the country's biggest daily The
Daily News, were also shut down by Moyo for breaching the country's tough
media legislation, condemned internationally as an affront to democratic
ideals.

Up to now, there are no private broadcasting stations in Zimbabwe. Moves
to open up the sector to more players hit a brick wall as the government
maintained a tight monopoly on the broadcasting sector. The state-owned
Zimbabwe Broadcasting Holdings is notorious for its sycophancy in
churning out virulent government propaganda against anyone who dares to
challenge Mugabe and his ZANU PF party.

SW Radio Africa was founded in 2000 and now broadcasts from London after
the Harare authorities shut down the "pirate" radio station. Its jamming
has rekindled the spectre of its clampdown that has returned to haunt its
founder and director, Jerry Jackson, who says the station is paying for
its criticism of Mugabe's wayward policies.

An independent probe by local media watchdog, the Media Monitoring
Project of Zimbabwe (MMPZ), the International Broadcasting Bureau (IBB) a
United States federal entity and the British Broadcasting Corporation
(BBC) Monitoring have revealed that the station's signal is being
deliberately drowned by a powerful transmitter and they suspect the
government, which has a record of clamping down on the private media, is
behind the jamming.

"We don't know anything about that. It's just a lie," said government
information boss Nathan Shamuyarira.

Although Harare authorities have denied the allegations that they are
jamming the network, the MMPZ and ordinary Zimbabweans seem not to be
convinced by the government's feeble denial.

"The government now wants to deal with the electronic media that does not
toe its line. They have totally won the war with the print," says Enoch
Dube a journalism lecturer at a local college.

Critics accuse Mugabe of presiding over the collapse of the country's
once vibrant economy which has seen inflation hovering above the 123
percent mark. Seventy percent of Zimbabwe's labour force is out of
employment.

The health delivery system has virtually collapsed and the country has
survived on food handouts from the international community after Mugabe
seized large swathes of commercial farms for redistribution to landless
blacks.

"The blocking is part of the government's onslaught on the independent
minded media that are not supportive of President Mugabe and his
policies," Jackson said.
(ZimOnline Apr 20, 2005 via D.Pringle-Wood-ZWE for DXLD 5-066)

............................................

New Eritrean Opposition Coalition Launches Radio Station
April 19, 2005

Article originally posted at:
http://www.nharnet.com/Archives/Arch_2005/April2005/EDA_RadioAnnouncement
_Apr19.pdf

Text of report by Eritrean opposition web site Nharnet on 19 April

We would like to inform our listeners that Voice of Democratic Alliance
[of the recently-formed opposition coalition Eritrean Democratic
Alliance] will from next Thursday, 21 April 2005, begin broadcasting to
Africa, Asia and Europe in the 25, 31 and 41 metre band or 18000 [sic ---
maybe 11800?] kHz, 9560 kHz and 7165 kHz; and to the Horn of Africa and
Middle East in the 303 and 989 metre band middle wave.

[NOTE: 18000 maybe means 11800? See below. 7165 and 9560 are regular
frequencies of R. Ethiopia's external service -G.Hauser-USA in DXLD
5-068]

We would also like to inform our listeners that while the broadcasting
from Thursday, 21 April, to Saturday, 23 April 2005, will carry
introductory programmes, the radio will start broadcasting its regular
programmes on Sunday, 24 April 2005. Broadcasting hours are as follows:

Mondays: From 6 p.m. to 6.30 p.m. [1500-1530 gmt] in Arabic; from 6.30
p.m. to 7 p.m. in Kunama.
Tuesdays: From 6 p.m. to 6.30 p.m. in Tigrinya; from 6.30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
in Afar.
Wednesdays: From 6 p.m. to 6.30 p.m. in Arabic; from 6.30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
in Kunama.
Thursdays: From 6 p.m. to 6.30 p.m. in Tigrinya; from 6.30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
in Afar.
Fridays: From 6 p.m. to 6.30 p.m. in Arabic; from 6.30 p.m. to 7 p.m. in
Kunama.
Saturdays: From 6 p.m. to 6.30 p.m. in Tigrinya; from 6.30 p.m. to 7 p.m.
in Afar.
Sundays: From 6 p.m. to 6.30 p.m. in Arabic; from 6.30 p.m. to 7 p.m. in
Tigrinya.

[Issued by] The office of Information. Eritrean Democratic Alliance.

Source: Nharnet web site in Tigrinya 19 Apr 05 (via BBCM via DXLD-ML)

Radio V. of Ethiopia used 11800.3 kHz at 1058-1800 UT a decade ago. Now
replaced by 7165.
(W.Büschel-D Apr 25, 2005 in DXLD 5-068)

------------xxxxxxxxxx Schedules xxxxxxxxxx--------------------

China (PRC)
Sound-of-Hope Radio Network

Sound of Hope, the clandestine also on SW, has started a weekly English
program, on AM620 in NY and soon on WUST 1120 Washington DC, called
Speaking of Asia, and also on demand:
http://eng.soundofhope.org/aboutus.asp Furthermore, has bilingual news,
and a few shows in Spanish.
(G.Hauser-OK-USA Apr 16, 2005 in DXLD-ML)

............................................

Ethiopia
Radio Voice of ENUF

12120, Radio Voice of ENUF, via Armavir, 1700-1800 Fri Sun re Bernd-item
on Apr 16. I tried Sun Apr 17 at 1700 and later but like Ron Howard in
DXPL1508 nothing on the frequency at this time here.
(Krone-Denmark Apr 17)

Tensae Ethiopia Voice of Unity

15660, Tensae Ethiopia Voice of Unity, via Samara, fine reception when I
tuned in on Bernd's tip Apr 17 just before close 1600.* 'Tansae' and
'Demokrasi' mentioned, as well as 'meter band' etc.
(F.Krone-DNK Apr 18, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)


------------xxxxxxxxxx Logs xxxxxxxxxx-------------------------

Afghanistan
Radio Free Afghanistan (c.2002)

15090 R.Free Afganistan Apr 21 1039-1052 45433 Pushto, Talk, //19010kHz,
(Ko.Hashimoto-J Apr 21, 2005 in JAP 366)

............................................

Asia
Radio Free Asia

Radio Free Asia (p), 15535 at 0029 on 4/11 Very weak with accordion or
squeeze box sound and two or three "This is Radio ---". Off at 0030. The
new EiBi list shows RFA via Vladivostok.
(G.Dexter-WI-USA Apr 11, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)

Radio Free Asia, en los 15685 kHz, a las 0520 UTC el 19-04-2005, la
programacion era en chino, hice la verificacion de acurdo a la lista ILG.
(J.Elías Díaz-E Apr 19, 2005 in Lista ConDig-ML)

............................................

China (PRC)
Sound-of-Hope Radio Network

17765 [11765? -JB] Sound of Hope (tentative), 1614+, April 16, Chinese,
Transmission via Taiwan, talk by male; at 1618 UTC talk by female in
chinese, 25532
(A.L.Slaen-ARG Apr 16, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)

Voice of Tibet

17525 V.of Tibet Apr 21 *1100-1107 35333 Tibetian, 1100 sign on with
opening music, Opening announce, Talk, 1107 sign on with Jamming station
on c/c,
(Ko.Hashimoto-J Apr 21, 2005 in JAP 366)

17525 V.of Tibet Apr 21 *1212-1227 45444-43443 Tibetian, 1212 sign on
with opening music, Opening announce, Talk, 1217 sign on with Jamming
station on c/c,
(Ko.Hashimoto-J Apr 21, 2005 in JAP 366)

............................................

Cuba
Radio Martí

No trace of the airborne PANG EC-130 Radio Martí relay as of 2217 GMT 16
April (in a perfect world, it should have popped up around 2100). A
threshold Radio Visión Cristiana remains the only signal audible here as
I type [530 kHz]. "Air Martí" first re-appeared last Saturday, for the
first time in nearly eight months. I wonder what gives? Weather certainly
is not a factor across the Florida Straits today. I'll move the digits
soon to 1020 kHz, and sporadically check for the alleged PoP Turks &
Caicos test tonight, whatever format that may be.
(T.Krueger-FL-USA Apr 16, 2005 in DXLD 5-065)

6030 kHz 19/4. R.Martí, 03:11-03:14, es, Referencias al conclabe. SINPO
34232.
(J.Miguel Romero Romero-E Apr 19, 2005 in OndaCorta-ML)

7365 kHz 19/4. R.Martí, 03:14-03:16, es, ID, SINPO 33332.
(J.Miguel Romero Romero-E Apr 19, 2005 in OndaCorta-ML)

9565 Khz 23/4. R.Martí, 20:53-20:58,es, tertulia politica. SINPO 33232.
(J.Miguel Romero Romero-E Apr 23, 2005 in Radioescutas-ML)

............................................

Diverse
Various

'Conflict radio' almost have created their own shortwave 'band' with
these heard between 1730-1800 Apr 30: 12120 Dejen 12130 Horyaal 12140
Ashna 12145 SW Radio Africa (//weak 11770 at 1802) - and no other
stations heard in between!!
(F.Krone-DNK Apr 30, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)

............................................

Eritrea
Voice of Democratic Alliance

9560.1, Voice of Democratic Alliance?, via R Ethiopia, 1456-1505, Apr 26,
Arabic song to 1459 then pause and at 1600 drum-like start and YM in
Arabic but not possible to ID. Went to 11800 which was occupied by strong
(Asian lang) speaker, so went back to 9560.1, but still no good luck
there with heavy splash sandwiched as it was between 9555/9565 kHz.
7165.1 had a very weak carrier. Had to leave at 1520, and when I came
back 1555, 7165.1 a bit better, but none good enough to establish whether
in //. 18000 completely empty, as expected. This is going to be a
difficult one to ID.
(F.Krone-DNK Apr 26, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)

Voice of Liberty

15675 V.of Liberty Apr 24 *0600-0608 24432 Tigrigna, 0600 sign on with
opening music, ID, Eritrean pops music, Talk.
(Ko.Hashimoto-J Apr 24, 2005 in JAP 366)

............................................

Ethiopia
Dejen Radio

12120, Dejen R, +1715-1800*, Apr 16, off mid-sentence without closing
procedure. Many mentions of "Dejen" (sounds like "Deschen"). Fair on
clear channel.
(F.Krone-DNK Apr 16, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)

12120, Dejen Radio (P), April 16 (Sat.), *1700-1712, Afr. vern (Tigrigna
listed for this time), short piece of Afr. mx, non-stop talking. Before
1700 and after 1712, very heavy pulsating noise, reception poor/light
RTTY QRM. April 17 checked here for Radio Voice of ENUF, which is
scheduled for *1700, but heard only strong pulsating noise till 1700,
then RTTY, no sign of any station.
(R.Howard-CA-USA Apr 16, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)

Dejen Radio, in Tigrigna heard on 12120, April 16 at 1700 s/on. Tigrigna
is spoken in Ethiopia and Eritrea. Heard under heavy RTTY QRM.
(S.Lare-MI-USA Apr 16, 2005 in DXLD 5-065)

Dejen on 12120 was heard a bit weaker -1800* close with insatrumental
tune (after phone-in prgr).
(F.Krone-DNK Apr 30, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)

Radio Voice of ENUF

12120, R Voice of ENUF (New clandestine towards Ethiopia scheduled
Fridays and Sundays 1700-1800 via Armavia) , Fr Apr 22. The Armavir
transmitter opened with test tones at *1657-1658, and then an open
carrier was heard with QSA 5 1700-1800*, but no audio! Were the producers
sleeping ? But on Su Apr 24 at *1700-1758*, the station was heard after
some test tones, beginning with two minutes of reading numbers in
English:
"171 171 171 000 171 171 171 000 171 171 171 000 171 171 171 171 171 171
171 000 171 171 171 000 171 171 171 000 171 171 171 000" with an
Ethiopian song weak in the background. At 1702-1758 followed some talks
in Amharic with a few mentions of Ethiopia and frequently with a flute in
the background. 45444
(A.Petersen-DNK Apr 2,, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)

Radio VoENUF 12120 kHz (via RUS) um 1721 UTC in Vn mit langen Berichten
in denen häufig Äthiopien erwähnt wurde und einer ständigen
Hintergrundmusik. s/off um 1758 UTC. 34333
(P.Robic-AUT Apr 24(?), 2005 in A-DX-ML)

12120, Voice of ENUF, via Tbilisskaya, Russia, 1709-1759*, Apr 24, tuned
in too late (and too bad!!) to final words of English speech. Short flute
music (sole flute between items during the rest of the programme). 1710
announcement ‘Ye Washington D.C.naa …..’ (wish I know Amharic).
Talk-flute-talk-flute. 1722 YM ‘Ye ystokiyaa demokrasi ….’. Same pattern
program, with Ethiopia mentioned a few times, until 1758 flute and YM ‘..
ye Ethiopia … shortwave … megahertz … radio program …’ in midst of
Amharic final ann. Off without music.
(F.Krone-DNK Apr 24, 2005 for CRW)

Radio Xoriyo

15670, Radio Xoriyo, Voice of the Ogadeni People, via Jülich-Germany,
*1631-1645+, Apr 26 (Tue), Somali talk, many mentions of Ogaden (the
station focuses on the Ogaden region of eastern Ethiopia). Web-site
http://www.ogaden.com/ says, and I quote: "Radio Xoriyo waxaad ka
dhegaysan kartaa Mawjadda 19 MB ee dhererkeedu yahay 15670 KHZ, Maalmaha
Talaadada iyo Jimcaha 7:30PM waqtiga Afrikada Bari" (dated Apr 26), hi.
Weak, clear channel. radioxoriyo@ogaden.com and raadioxoriyo@yahoo.com
(F.Krone-DNK Apr 26, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)

Tensae Ethiopia Voice of Unity

15660, Tensae-Ethiopia Voice of Unity, via Samara, *1458-1600*, Apr 24,
repeated tones until 1500 when instrumental HoA theme tune and male
giving ID in Amharic ‘Ye Tensa’e …. Radio Tayano’ (could be Kayano or
other, phonetic) repeated twice with theme tune in between. 1601 ‘Tensa´e
Cristian …meter band .... . kilohertz ..." HoA instrumental into 1503 YM.
Words recognized were programacion …cultural ….demokratik … liberta … If
he gave address, it was well hidden. Theme tune into male talking,
mentioning ‘demokratik’ at times. 1512 mentioned clearly Radio Tayanoo
(Kayanoo) into HoA song and again talk about democracy. Same pattern
throughout with occasional IDs. Close 1600 same tune. Fair on clear
channel.

On http://www.unitedethiopia.org/ you can read that "Tensae-Ethiopia
Voice of Unity Radio will broadcast to listeners in Ethiopia, and the
Middle East at 19 Meter Band on 15660 KHZ (12:00- 1:00 Ethiopian time)
starting April 17, 2005.This radio is run by concerned Ethiopians for
fair and democratic election. The broadcast is to run for 1 hour on
sundays. It has no affiliation with any political party." (F.Krone-DNK
Apr 24, 2005 for CRW)

Tensae Ethiopia VoUnity 15660 kHz (via RUS) um 1500 UTC in Vn mit ID
(klang
phonetisch nach Radio Tayano), Nx und äthiopischer Mx. 34433.
(P.Robic-AUT Apr 24(?), 2005 in A-DX-ML)

Voice of Oromo Liberation

15670 Apr 19 1730-1740 UNID: V.o.Oromo. Emision en oromo,Mx
local,frecuencias y referencias a la programación, locutor y locutora.
SINPO 55555.
(J.Miguel Romero-E Apr 19, 2005 in HCDX-ML)

15670 kHz 20/4. V.o.Oromo Liberatión, 17:30-17:40, OO, ID,Mx local, frec
y referencias a la programación, locutor y locutora. SINPO 55555
(J.Miguel Romero Romero-E Apr 20, 2005 in OndaCorta-ML)

15670, V.O.Oromo Liberation, via Jülich, 1705-1725, Apr 22, Oromo talk,
songs at 1713. Strong with no interference.
(F.Krone-DNK Apr 22, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)

15670, V.O.Oromo Liberation (Tue), 1703-1710+, Apr 26, Oromo news
(Ogaden, Iraq, America, etc), HoA song 1709, male agn about Oromo.
(F.Krone-DNK Apr 26, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)

............................................

Gambia, The
Unknown

27.4. 9430 kHz Save the Gambia Democracy Project Testsendung via ? um
2000 UTC mit s/on, danach Interview in Englisch, um 2014 UTC kurze Musik
und s/off um 2015 UTC. 23332
(P.Robic-AUT Apr 27, 2005 in A-DX-NL)

27 Apr checked this new target broadcast Save The Gambia Democracy
Project on 9430. At 1956 strong carrier appeared and at 2000 into an
interview in English about STGDP. A bit of music at the end and pulled
the plug around 2015. No ID at all. S9+10dB signal here.
(J.Savolainen-FIN Apr 27, 2005 in HCDX-ML)

9430, "GAMBIA", "Gambia Democratic Project", *2000-2015*, Apr.27,
English, Test transmission crash-start at 2000 with interview in progress
b/w 2 OM re formation, mission of the "Gambian Democratic Project" and
hopes for the Gambian 2006 election. Caliope like music over interview at
2014, then music only until 2015*. No ID given. Fair, best listening in
USB. Thanks Nick Grace-CRW for the tip. Any ideas on transmitter site?
(S.R.Barbour Jr-NH-USA Apr 27, 2005 in HCDX-ML)

Clandestine (Gambia): Hrd 2000-2015 Apr 27, pretty decent strength, audio
a little tinny. All an interview of one man by another, some African
instr. mx at the end. Many ments. of Gambia and the "Gambia Democratic
Project."
(J.Berg-MA-USA Apr 27, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)

20.00 bis 20.15 UTC, Sendung fuer Gambia auf 9430kHz. Auch am DO, 28.04.,
zu hoeren gewesen. Allerdings nicht in E sondern in Vn. Qualitaet so 2/3.
(H.Meixner-AUT Apr 28, 2005 in A-DX-ML)

QTH?? 9430, Save The Gambia Democracy Project test broadcast, Sounded
like the signal came on the air at 1957. Test pgmming, already in
progress, began at exactly 2000:27 w/live discussion by men and woman
(more like long dissertations) in lcl dialect. Many ments of Gambia,
democracy, and Africa, 1994, Senegal. Went into some great lcl lively
string mx at 2014 and pgm end at 2014:30. Signal gone at exactly 2015.
Fair signal and quite readable. Did have to deal w/some lcl QRM for the
first 6 or 7 minutes. (28 April)
(D.Valko-USA Apr 28, 2005 in CDX-ML)

9430 Gambia Democracy Project heard 2000-2015. Details similar to other
logs, just wanted to let folks know it made it to Southwest Florida.
(H.Johnson-USA Apr 28, 2005 in CDX-ML)

9430 Gambia Democracy Project heard 2000-2015. Details similar to previous
logs, just like Hans I wanted to let folks know it made it to the middle
of Germany.
(M.Schöch-D Apr 29, 2005 for CRW)

............................................

Iran
Radio Farda

Radio Farda, en los 15290 kHz, a las 0540 UTC el 19-04-2005, con
excelente musica é identificación de la radio.
(J.Elías Díaz-E Apr 19, 2005 in Lista ConDig-ML)

1575 | UNITED ARAB EMIRATES | R. Farda, APR 28 0018 - // 1170 with "Like
a Prayer" by Madonna, Farda mention; excellent.
(M.Connelly*B-MA-USA Apr 28, 2005 in HCDX-ML)

Radio International

13800, R Anternational, 1705-1715*, Apr 16, Farsi, YL ID and phone No´s
in s/off procedure. Strong.
(F.Krone-DNK Apr 16, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)

13800 Radio Anternational (p), 1750+, April 16, farsi, talk by male,
35443
(A.L.Slaen-ARG Apr 16, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)

13800 R.International Apr 21 *1630-1637 45433 Farsi, 1630 sign on with
opening music, ID, Talk,
(Ko.Hashimoto-J Apr 21, 2005 in JAP 366)

Radio Sedaye Iran

11575 V.of Iran Apr 10 1530-1535 25332 Farsi, Opening music, ID and
opening announce, Talk,
(Ko.Hashimoto-J Apr 10, 2005 in JAP 365)

11575 V.of Iran Apr 21 *1530-1535 35433 Farsi, 1530 sign on with opening
music, ID and opening announce, Talk,
(Ko.Hashimoto-J Apr 21, 2005 in JAP 366)

11575, Voice of Iran via Sofia, Bulgaria (pres), Apr 22, from 1650
tune-in with phone-in program in Farsi until heard going off at 1730.
Seemingly, did not give an ID during that time. I looked at their
web-site http://www.krsi.net/us-en/todaysprogram.asp but that just added
to the confusion saying, quote "We have two different Frequency: 16 Meter
Frequency 17510 KHz" (16m and 17510 kHz = 2 different Frequency? hi - or
did they forget 11575 kHz or is this just OLD news?). Strong.
(F.Krone-DNK Apr 22, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)

Ich habe mir gerade mal die persische Geheimstation (?) auf 11575 kHz
angehört[wollen!]. Den Bulgarien gelingt wegen Störungen der ISDN?
Zuführung überhaupt keine Programmaussendung. Das längste Stück Programm
währte 2 Minuten, sonst nur bruchstückhafte 5-Sekunden Audio mit
über-Sprazeln von einem Nebenkanal. So wird das Nichts mit dem
Geldverdienen über die Kostinbrod Anlagen. Ähnliche Versuche mit
Christian Programmen für West Afrika scheiterten auch vor kurzem.
(W.Büschel-D Apr 23, 2005 in A-DX-ML)

11575 KRSI *1530-1730* is no longer jammed. Noted in the clear on a
number of days via DX Tuner Europe.
(H.Johnson-USA Apr 29(?), 2005 in CDX-ML)

Seda-ye Jambushi Iran e Farda

7490 Seda-ye Jambushi Iran e Farda Apr 08 *1600-1610 35433 Farsi, 1600
sign on with opening music, ID, Talk,
(Ko.Hashimoto-J Apr 08, 2005 in JAP 365)

7490 V.O.Iran of Tomorrow Movement Apr 21 *1600-1605 35433 Farsi, ID at
1600, Talk,
(Ko.Hashimoto-J Apr 21, 2005 in JAP 366)

Sedaye Jambushi Iran e Farda 7490 kHz (via MDA) um 1600 UTC in Farsi mit
vielen IDs und Beiträge über den Iran. 44444
(P.Robic-AUT Apr 24(?), 2005 in A-DX-ML)

Voice of the Communist Party of Iran

6421.16V V.O.Communist Party of Iran Apr 10 1627-1638 24432-23432 Farsi,
IS and ID, Opening music, Talk, //6421.16kHz->6426.1kHz.
(Ko.Hashimoto-J Apr 10, 2005 in JAP 365)

4375.93 V.O.Communist Party of Iran Apr 14 1627-1636 34443-32442 Farsi,
IS and ID repeat, 1630 ID, Opening music, Talk,
(Ko.Hashimoto-J Apr 14, 2005 in JAP 365)

............................................

Kurdistan (de facto)
Voice of Mesopotamia

11530 V.of Mesopotamia Apr 10 1358-1403 33433 Kurdish, ID at 1359, Talk,
(Ko.Hashimoto-J Apr 10, 2005 in JAP 365)

11530 Denge Mesopotamya, 1515+, April 16, Vernacular, Very nice kurdish
music, 35543
(A.L.Slaen-ARG Apr 16, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)

Dengê Mezopotamya (to Kurdistan) 11530 kHz Apr 16 at listed s/on time but
did not come on the air up to 0510+.
(F.Krone-DNK Apr 16, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)

11530, Dengê Mezopotamya, usually very strong here (sch 0400-1600) Apr 16
did not come on the air 0400 up to 0510+. Apr 18 1510 completely silent
as well. Off the air or new frequency? Still on
http://www.airtime.be/schedule.html with no change (F.Krone-DNK Apr 18,
2005 in DXplorer-ML)

Re. my item, quote: "11530, Dengê Mezopotamya, usually very strong here
(sch 0400-1600) Apr 16 did not come on the air 0400 up to 0510+. Apr 18
1510 completely silent as well. Off the air or new frequency? Still on
http://www.airtime.be/schedule.html with no change (Krone)" - Yesterday
Apr 22 and today Apr 23 around mid-day I had what I think is them on
11530, but they were NOT there early mornings nor late afternoons when I
checked. Did have modulation trouble with tx on and off at times as well,
contrary to earlier. So maybe either new schedule or transmitter trouble
(or both??)
(F.Krone-DNK Apr 23, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)

11530, Dengê Mezopotamya, after unstable period back strong and seemingly
during all scheduled hours; listed 0400-1600.
(F.Krone-DNK Apr 30, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)

............................................

Maldives
Minivan Radio

12015 Minivan Radio, 1620-1627, April 16, Vernacular, local song,
mentions to Comores Islands, very nice logal song, announcement by female
and short talk by male, 24432
(A.L.Slaen-ARG Apr 16, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)

............................................

Mexico
Radio Insurgente

Radio Insurgente, the Voice of the EZLN comment in its programme dated on
April 22, heard through its web site, that for a time, in SW programme
they will not broadcast the usual news from Chiapas, because a
restructuring inside Radio Insurgente. Unfortunately, no trace on 6.0
mHz.
(G.Ivan Barrera-ARG Apr 25, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)

Re: Radio Insurgente, MEX: Either they are very low power or 6.0 mHz is a
ruse. Most Central American stations will make it to South Florida. Never
heard anything.
(R.Wilkner-FL-USA Apr 25, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)

............................................

Myanmar
Democratic Voice of Burma

5910 Democratic V.of Burma Apr 14 *1429-1442 43443 Myanmar, 1429 sign on
with opening music, ID at 1430, Opening announce, Talk,
(Ko.Hashimoto-J Apr 14, 2005 in JAP 365)

17625 Democratic Voice of Burma, 1440+, April 16, Burmese, talk by female
and report by male, 35443
(A.L.Slaen-ARG Apr 16, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)

5910 Democratic V.of Burma Apr 21 *1430-1436 43443 Burmese, 1430 sign on
with opening music, ID, Talk, //17625 kHz (54444),
(Ko.Hashimoto-J Apr 20, 2005 in JAP 366)

............................................

Nigeria
Voice of Biafra International

7380 V.of Biafra Int. Apr 20 *2101-2110 35433 English, 2101 sign on with
music, ID, Theme music, ID, Song,
(Ko.Hashimoto-J Apr 20, 2005 in JAP 366)

V. of Biafra International, 7380, *2059-2159* April 23. Sign-on with
English ID and frequency announcement, then local music. 2103 another ID,
religious music; 2109 religious message. Many IDs between 2100-2110. 2111
English news about corruption in Nigeria. 2155 closing ID announcements.
2156 local music to 2159*. Saturday only; poor in T-storm static.
(B.Alexander-PA-USA Apr 23, 2005 in DXLD-ML)
Has been Wednesdays too; not any more? (G.Hauser-USA in DXLD-ML)

............................................

Somalia
Radio Horyaal

Radio Horyaal heard 16 April at 1730 s/on in Somali on 12130. Ostensibly
via a transmitter in Samara, Russia. Typical Russian test tones heard on
the frequency beginning around 1723.
(S.Lare-MI-USA Apr 16, 2005 in DXLD 5-065)

12130 Radio Horyaal via TDP for Somalia, 1736-1742, April 16, Vernacular,
long talk by female; after, interview, 24442
(A.L.Slaen-ARG Apr 16, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)

No sign of R Horyaal 12130 kHz nor near there (12120-12140) at 1730 Apr
22. Should be heard if on. [Later :] Yea yea, I know what you're all
gonna say: They're not on on FRIDAYS. But then agn, I tried THURSDAY Apr
21st (22nd being a mis-print, hi). Still nothing there.
(F.Krone-DNK Apr 22, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)

12130, "SOMALIA", R.Horyaal, 1744-1759*, Apr.25, Vernacular, Talks and
sound-bites by various announcers b/w Horn of Africa musical bits.
Cut-off at 1759. Fair.
(S.R.Barbour-NH-USA Apr 25, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)

12130, R Horyaal, via Samara (to Somalia), *1730-1800*, Apr 30, 1725
strong carrier, test-tones, into 1730 intial HoA tune, YL men'd Radio
Horyaal .. kilohertz, 1731 short Quran readings, 1732 YL/YM several IDs.
Choir at sign-off 1800* Has been heard quite regularly these last days.
(F.Krone-DNK Apr 30, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)

............................................

Sudan
Voice of Sudan

7999.35 V.of Sudan Apr 14 *1529-1537 24432 Arabic, 1529 sign on with IS,
Opening announce and music, Talk,
(Ko.Hashimoto-J Apr 14, 2005 in JAP 365)

............................................

Uganda
Radio Rhino International-Africa

R. Rhino International, 17870, *1500-1530* April 22, English news about
Uganda politics, 1513 ID. Some Afro-pop music but mostly constant English
talk about politics in Uganda. Mon-Fri only. Weak, poor in high noise
level. Weak co-channel QRM from VOA at their *1529.
(B.Alexander-PA-USA Apr 22, 2005 in DXLD-ML)

............................................

Vietnam
Que Huong Radio

15680 Que Huong R. Apr 16 *1200-1207 35333 Vietnamese, 1200 sign on with
music, Opening announce, Talk,
(Ko.Hashimoto-J Apr 16, 2005 in JAP 365)

............................................

Zimbabwe
SW Radio Africa

12145 SW R.Africa via Rusiia(P) Apr 14 *1600-1613 32442-31441 English,
Afro pops, ID at 1601, Talk, QRM of Jamming,
(Ko.Hashimoto-J Apr 14, 2005 in JAP 365)

11845 kHz, 16/4 16.00 SW R. Africa - Meyerton Vern. talk OM suff.
(R.Pavanello-I Apr 16, 2005 in Shortwave-ML)

12145 SW Radio Africa (tentative), 1744+, April 16, music, short talk by
female in ?????, 23442 with some jamming. In // 15145 khz with 25532
(A.L.Slaen-ARG Apr 16, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)

15145 kHz 17/4. SW Radio Africa, 17:01-17:15, ingles y vernacular,
entrevista con referencias a Zimbawe, ID "Radio Africa", Mx,emitiendo
tambien por 12145. SINPO 55444.
(J.Miguel Romero Romero-E Apr 17, 2005 in Lista ConDig-ML)

15145 1700 34433 G SW R Africa via Rampisham 1804 hfd E
(H.F.Dumrese-D Apr 18, 2005 in A-DX-ML)

15145 Apr 19 1703-1729 Zimbawe: SW Radio Africa. Emision en ingles y
vernacular,ID, entrevistas y comentarios,referencias a Zimbawe, Nigeria y
Ruanda. SINPO 55555.
(J.Miguel Romero-E Apr 19, 2005 in HCDX-ML)

15145 kHz 20/4. SW Radio Africa, 17:03-17:29, Ingles y vernacular, ID,
entrevistas y comentarios,referencias a Zimbabwe, Nigeria y Ruanda.SINPO
55555.
(J.Miguel Romero Romero-E Apr 20, 2005 in OndaCorta-ML)

Hi Glenn, Just to update your release DXLD 5-065 makes mention of, 7120,
Radio VOP (Voice of the People) transmitting from RN facilities,
Madagascar to Zimbabwe, in local vernacular and English 1700-1800,
English mainly heard in the last 30 mins. This station has been active on
this frequency for quite some time and is heard well here in Zimbabwe.

VOA-Voice of America, Studio 7 programming is heard well here, on its
numerous frequencies and relay sites 1700-1800 and also in the morning
0330-0400. [not so numerous, I thought --- gh]

SW Radio Africa, which broadcasts to Zimbabwe is still being severely
jammed by the Zimbabwean government. SW Radio Africa is heard in
Zimbabwe, or it is either jammed during its 1600-1900 broadcast periods
on as many of the following frequencies and during these times with
regular intermittency by the jammers.
4880 , 1600-1900
12145, 1600-1900
15145, 1600-1800
11770, 1800-1900
1197 (MW), 0300-0400 from Lesotho is heard well in Zimbabwe, without
jamming.
(D.Pringle-Wood-ZWE Apr 20, 2005 in DXLD 5-066)

Re 5-066: You are 100% correct, since when is Studio 7 a "private" radio
station? It is of course paid, with many thanks to, by the US taxpayer,
no less! Also the article had incorrectly named the SWRA station director
Jerry Jackson. Don't think that will phase Ms Gerry Jackson that much
though. Finally, it`s great to get outside news heard here on the MW &
Short wave bands directed to Zimbabwe, so yes, even three VOA Studio 7
shortwave frequencies and one Studio 7 MW frequency in the evenings is to
us back here in Zimbabwe quite numerous!
(D.Pringle-Wood-ZWE Apr 21, 2005 in DXLD 5-066)

4880 SW R.Africa Apr 21 1605-1622 35333-33332 English, Afro pops and
talk, // 12145 kHz (43443) and 15145 kHz (32332),
(Ko.Hashimoto-J Apr 21, 2005 in JAP 366)

12145 kHz 26/4. SW R.Africa, 18:48-19:00, In, Mx pop y comentarios, fin
de emisión despedida en idioma vernacular. SINPO 44333.
(J.Miguel Romero Romero-E Apr 26, 2005 in HCDX-ML)


------------xxxxxxxxxx Other News xxxxxxxxxx--------------------

Afghanistan
Finding Taleban Radio Up to US, Pakistani, Afghan Intelligence - Afghan
paper
April 26, 2005

Text of editorial in English entitled: "The Taleban are reactivating
Radio Shari'ah" by Afghan newspaper The Kabul Times on 26 April

The Taleban have warned that they are reactivating Radio Shari'ah to foul
mouth the Afghan government and the coalition forces in Afghanistan.

The presidential spokesman, Jawid Ludin, has told newsmen that the
government is not worried by this because all the people have suffered
under the Taleban regime in one way or another during the six years of
their reign of terror and they would not be beguiled by their baseless
propaganda.

On the other hand, the US-led commander of coalition forces, Gen [David]
Barno, has declared that his troops would put out of action the Taleban
radio transmitter wherever it may be.

And the Taleban have retorted that they have more than one transmitter
and would start broadcasting, weather-permitting.

This repartee gives rise to a number of questions:

1. The venue where broadcasting would take place from.

2. The type of equipment they would be using.

3. The professional training of their radio engineers.

4. Their source of funding.

As to the venue where they would broadcast from, there is no doubt that
the coalition will locate it with the help of advanced eavesdropping
devices.

It can be also easily know out the Taleban transmitter by bombing.
[Sentence as received] But it should be ascertained what type of
equipment they intend to use, where they have obtained them from and at
what price.

No radio station can be run without the help and cooperation of
professional engineers. The Taleban, being a bunch of mullahs, are
completely ignorant about engineering and those who are engineers will
never voluntarily turn into Taleban unless they are insane.

Now where have they got their engineers from and who pays them? Since the
US has frozen the Al-Qa'idah and other dubious accounts in various banks,
who is financing the Taleban to run a radio station even from a derelict
building?

These are the issues to be dealt with by the CIA, the ISI [Pakistan's
Intern-Intelligence Service] and the Afghan intelligence.

The ISI must be in the know because it has been dealing with the Taleban
since their inception. If they claim that the Taleban have been carrying
out their clandestine operations from Wazirestan on the border with
Afghanistan where Pakistan does not enjoy much influence, this may be
true to some extent but surely the ISI has some informers to find answers
to the above questions. There is no need to deploy further troops in the
area for this purpose.

President Musharraf has time and again declared his resolve to fight
terrorism of which both Pakistan and Afghanistan are suffering while the
Al-Qa'idah and its stooges, the Taleban, are the fountainhead of
terrorism in the entire Middle East including Iraq and Saudi Arabia.

And the ISI is expected to fall into line and find out, with the help of
the CIA, the needful answers to the above questions and leave the rest to
its Afghan and American colleagues.

Source: The Kabul Times, Kabul, in English 26 Apr 05
(BBC Monitoring)

............................................

Afghanistan
Taleban Radio Restarts Broadcasting in Afghanistan
April 18, 2005

Excerpt from report by Pakistan-based Afghan Islamic Press news agency

Peshawar, 18 April: The Taleban say that Radio Shariat Zhagh [Voice of
Shari'ah] has resumed broadcasting recently. The Taleban spokesman Mofti
Latifollah Hakimi told the Afghan Islamic Press this afternoon: "After a
six-month break, Radio Shari'ah Zhagh broadcast for one hour this morning
from 0600 to 0700 local time in Dari and Pashto languages."

Hakimi added: "It will also broadcast for one hour this evening from 1800
to 1900 local time and the bulletin will carry the message of Amir
al-Momenin Mullah Omar." Giving details about this radio station, Hakimi
said: "The Taleban own three radio stations. One is now reopened and the
others will start functioning soon." He said the radio could be heard at
FM 100.8 and 100.9 and also at AM and SW waves.

Hakimi also elaborated on the objectives of the source and explained:
"Foreign radios claim independence and freedom, but they are not actually
free. Therefore, we established this radio station, through which we
could report to people on the realities and facts in all the cities and
villages of the country and introduce them the goals and objectives of
the Islamic Movement of Taleban."

In reply to a question how they managed to set up these radio stations,
Hakimi said: "We imported the equipment from abroad and Afghan engineers
here set up the stations."

In response to another question, he replied: "Shari'ah Zhagh broadcast
from an unidentified location within Afghanistan and the other three
radio stations will hopefully begin broadcasting in the foreseeable
future."

It is worth mentioning that Radio Afghanistan, based in Kabul, was
renamed as Shari'ah Zhagh under the Taleban rule. [Passage omitted on
radio broadcast under the Taleban regime]

Source: Afghan Islamic Press news agency, Peshawar, in Pashto 1115 gmt 18
Apr 05 (via BBCM via DXLD 5-066)

............................................

Afghanistan
Taliban Launch Clandestine Radio Station in Afghanistan
April 18, 2005

Afghanistan's Taliban guerrillas launched a clandestine radio station
today, broadcasting anti-government commentaries and Islamic hymns from a
mobile transmitter. Called "Shariat Shagh", or Voice of Shariat, after
the station the Taliban ran while in power, the broadcast can be heard in
five southern provinces, including the former regime's old power base of
Kandahar.

"We launched the broadcast today through a mobile facility," said Taliban
spokesman Abdul Latif Hakimi. "It goes on the air between six and seven
o'clock in the mornings and same time in the evenings," he said by
telephone from an undisclosed location. Hakimi said the Taliban, fighting
an insurgency in the south and east of the country since they were driven
from power in late 2001, needed their own voice because the world's media
were pro-American. Many Afghans listen to the BBC and Voice of America
which broadcast in the country's two main languages, Pashto and Dari. In
addition to government-run radio, numerous small, private stations have
sprung up, many funded by aid donors.

As well as Islamic hymns and anti-government commentaries, the Taliban
station also criticised US and other foreign troops operating in
Afghanistan since the Taliban were ousted.Asked what the Taliban would do
if US forces detected and destroyed their transmitter, Hakimi said they
would set up another.
(http://medianetwork.blogspot.com via B.Trutenau-LTU Mar 18, 2005 in
DXplorer-ML)

RE: Clandestine in Afghanistan - SW?

Seemingly so. A later report from the Afghan Islamic Press news agency
via BBC Monitoring quotes Hakimi as saying "The Taleban own three radio
stations. One is now reopened and the others will start functioning
soon." He said the radio could be heard at FM 100.8 and 100.9 and also at
AM and SW waves."
(A.Sennit-HOL Apr 18, 2005 in DXLD-ML)

............................................

China (PRC)
About Sound of Hope Radio Network
April 19, 2005

Article originally posted at:
http://www.emediawire.com/releases/2005/4/emw230502.htm

Found this in a press release issued today -

Established in U.S., the Sound of Hope Radio Network (SOH) is a
news-and-entertainment broadcast service offering a unique and broad
perspective on Chinese culture and its people. With local radio programs
in more than 30 cities and a rich pool of webradio news and
programs,Sound of Hope Radio network has been able to reach millions of
Chinese people in Europe, North America Australia and some Asia
countries. Currently, SOH also produces weekly English,French and Spanish
programs to introduce Asia culture to more people. SOH is the only
independent radio network that could provide daily 4 hour broadcast in
shortwave to mainland China. This daily shortwave airtime slots are 6am
to 7am at 9.635 MHz; 7am to 8am at 7.310 MHz; 9pm to 10pm at 7.310 MHz
and 12am to 1am at 11.765 MHz. Pls visit www.soundofhope.net for more
info.
(via H.Johnson-FL-USA Apr 19, 2005 in CDX-ML)

URL for this is http://www.emediawire.com/releases/2005/4/emw230502.htm
(A.Sennit-HOL Apr 20, 2005 in DXLD-ML)

Presumably Hangzhou time; subtract 8 hours for UT.
(G.Hauser-USA Apr 20, 2005 in DXLD 5-066)

............................................

Cuba
Nueva Forma de Interferencia de TV Martí en Santa Clara
April 17, 2005

Article originally posted at:
http://www.cubanet.org/CNews/y05/apr05/18a1.htm

SANTA CLARA, Cuba - 17 de abril (José Moreno Cruz, Cubanacán Press /
www.cubanet.org) - Este sábado 16 de abril muchas personas interesadas en
ver la programación de TV Martí quedaron desconcertadas cuando al
sintonizar el canal 13 observaron un nuevo patrón de pruebas.

El nuevo patrón muestra con nitidez total la gama de colores y
cuadrículas punteadas que en el orden de 90 serpentean la pantalla de los
telerreceptores, aunque en el centro se logran ver otras cuadrículas de
diversos colores de mayor tamaño.

Acompañado de un sonido ininterrumpido de alta frecuencia, el nuevo
patrón apareció desde horas tempranas de la tarde de este sábado y
desapareció al filo de la media noche cuando TV Martí debió haber
terminado su programación.

Desde dos semanas antes, un patrón de rayas longitudinales a colores que
iban desde el blanco hasta el azul intenso, estaba interfiriendo dicha
señal en el área de esta ciudad capital provincial, la quinta en el país
en número de habitantes, próximo ya al cuarto millón de ciudadanos.

Algunas personas residentes en otros municipios afirmaron que "lograron
ver y escuchar algo de la programación" durante esos días, aunque tres
semanas atrás, cuando había condiciones atmosféricas excepcionales, se
pudo observar parte de la programación, y escuchar el audio durante toda
la noche.

Desde los mismos inicios del lanzamiento de la señal de TV Martí hacia la
isla, las autoridades de Radio Cuba han realizado esfuerzos para evitar
que la población observe la programación enviada a la isla de un avión
que sobrevuela las aguas internacionales.
Hasta que salió al aire la nueva forma de interferencia, Radio Cuba
utilizaba un patrón blanco con bordes oscuros que cubría totalmente la
pantalla, acompañado de un sonido disipador de las señales de menos
potencia. Los esfuerzos de las autoridades cubanas por evitar la libre
información de las ideas y noticias los ha llevado además, a controlar el
uso de la Internet y a taponear emisoras radiales de la Florida con la
señal de emisoras de radio nacionales especialmente de Radio Rebelde y de
CMBF Radio Musical Nacional.

Así han sido taponeadas en onda media Radio Martí, Radio Mambí, La
Poderosa y por último, la 1140 AM de Univisión Radio.

Varias personas consultadas al respecto creen que el nuevo sistema de
interferencia de TV Martí se deba al anuncio realizado recientemente de
que esa planta comenzaría a transmitir la pelota de las Grandes Ligas
hacia Cuba, donde juegan varios peloteros que han abandonado la isla y
disfrutan de contratos millonarios.SANTA CLARA, Cuba - 17 de abril (José
Moreno Cruz, Cubanacán Press / www.cubanet.org) - Este sábado 16 de abril
muchas personas interesadas en ver la programación de TV Martí quedaron
desconcertadas cuando al sintonizar el canal 13 observaron un nuevo
patrón de pruebas.
El nuevo patrón muestra con nitidez total la gama de colores y
cuadrículas punteadas que en el orden de 90 serpentean la pantalla de los
telerreceptores, aunque en el centro se logran ver otras cuadrículas de
diversos colores de mayor tamaño.

Acompañado de un sonido ininterrumpido de alta frecuencia, el nuevo
patrón apareció desde horas tempranas de la tarde de este sábado y
desapareció al filo de la media noche cuando TV Martí debió haber
terminado su programación. Desde dos semanas antes, un patrón de rayas
longitudinales a colores que iban desde el blanco hasta el azul intenso,
estaba interfiriendo dicha señal en el área de esta ciudad capital
provincial, la quinta en el país en número de habitantes, próximo ya al
cuarto millón de ciudadanos.
Algunas personas residentes en otros municipios afirmaron que "lograron
ver y escuchar algo de la programación" durante esos días, aunque tres
semanas atrás, cuando había condiciones atmosféricas excepcionales, se
pudo observar parte de la programación, y escuchar el audio durante toda
la noche.

Desde los mismos inicios del lanzamiento de la señal de TV Martí hacia la
isla, las autoridades de Radio Cuba han realizado esfuerzos para evitar
que la población observe la programación enviada a la isla de un avión
que sobrevuela las aguas internacionales.
Hasta que salió al aire la nueva forma de interferencia, Radio Cuba
utilizaba un patrón blanco con bordes oscuros que cubría totalmente la
pantalla, acompañado de un sonido disipador de las señales de menos
potencia. Los esfuerzos de las autoridades cubanas por evitar la libre
información de las ideas y noticias los ha llevado además, a controlar el
uso de la Internet y a taponear emisoras radiales de la Florida con la
señal de emisoras de radio nacionales especialmente de Radio Rebelde y de
CMBF Radio Musical Nacional.

Así han sido taponeadas en onda media Radio Martí, Radio Mambí, La
Poderosa y por último, la 1140 AM de Univisión Radio.

Varias personas consultadas al respecto creen que el nuevo sistema de
interferencia de TV Martí se deba al anuncio realizado recientemente de
que esa planta comenzaría a transmitir la pelota de las Grandes Ligas
hacia Cuba, donde juegan varios peloteros que han abandonado la isla y
disfrutan de contratos millonarios.

Esta información ha sido transmitida por teléfono, ya que el gobierno de
Cuba controla el acceso a Internet.

CubaNet no reclama exclusividad de sus colaboradores, y autoriza la
reproducción de este material, siempre que se le reconozca como fuente.
(CubaNet News Apr 18, 2005 via Oscar de Céspedes-FL-USA in
ListaConDig-ML)

............................................

Diverse
Army Officer Lends Ear to Iraqis Over Radio
April 27, 2005

Article originally posted at:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=2027&ncid=2027&e=2&u=/chi
tribts/20050427/ts_chicagotrib/armyofficerlendseartoiraqisoverradio

By James Janega
Chicago Tribune

One caller wants to know why she can't attend the trials of her family
members. The next claims his house was robbed of 3 million dinars after a
raid, and he wants it back. A third asks about Western medical attention
for a critically ill child.

On the live call-in radio show, the main guest is the head of the
U.S.-led occupation in Tikrit, the callers are local residents, and the
questions they ask tell the story of the occupation in Iraq.

"There's just so many ways that we can defeat the insurgency," says Lt.
Col. Todd Wood of the 3rd Infantry Division after the show last week.
"One of the ways is to change perception. If we can do that, the people
will change."

Wood, commander of the 2nd Battalion, 70th Infantry Regiment, deals daily
with infantry patrols, bankrolls local improvement projects and directs
raids on suspected insurgents.

But he thinks one of the most powerful tools at his disposal is the live
radio show on FM 96.5, on which he stars each Thursday afternoon.

He arrives early in a heavily armored convoy. Soldiers enter the radio
station on the edge of Tikrit ahead of him. When he walks in, he is
armored and helmeted but also cheerful. The unscripted hour that follows
can be congratulatory or combative.

Wood loves it either way.

The armed forces radio station, called "the Rock of Tikrit" by American
troops in town, allows several hours of local break-in programming each
day. Wood's show is one of the most popular, for Iraqis and Americans,
and is rebroadcast two to three times each week.

It is hosted in Arabic by Mushir Hassan, and Wood takes calls with the
help of his translator, talking to callers about the American presence in
Tikrit as well as the complexities of the military bureaucracy and
nascent Iraqi justice system.

Bossa nova opening

Hassan begins the show with a bossa nova tune and an invocation to God,
then turns to his guests and the topic of the week.

Last week the guests included two Tikrit University officials--the
chairman of the engineering department and the college dean. Wood's unit
has provided $12 million to the university in recent months to seed local
goodwill, with mostly positive feedback.

The engineering chairman, Hider Saed al Jubair, reads a list of projects
the money has funded, from X-ray machines to plumbing and student
dormitories. But the dean, Mohammed Bidak, follows him with a catalog of
complaints and a plea for more money.

"Is this all we're going to talk about?" Wood asks, exasperated.

Hassan shrugs and opens the phone lines, and the complaints keep coming.

Detainee questions

"My husband has been detained for more than a year and a half. We haven't
even been told of an accusation," says a woman who identified herself as
the wife of Saad Daoud.

She wants to know if her husband is in Abu Ghraib or at the permanent
detention facility at Camp Bucca in southern Iraq, and what the charges
against him are.

"That's a very good question, and one I get very often," Wood begins.
Another family met him at the gate to the radio station with a similar
entreaty and is waiting outside for an answer.

Wood tells the caller that the recently established emergency call center
in Tikrit can handle the inquiry, as can the mayor's office or the
military outreach center that processes claims for property damaged by
U.S. forces.

Off the air, one of his officers takes the woman's name and number and
promises to follow up. Wood pledges follow-ups for most of the show's
callers.

Angry `repeat caller'

But a few minutes later, the graciousness fades when a man calls to
complain about an April 4 raid on his house.

The angry caller's three sons were detained and 3 million dinars (about
$2,000) was taken, he says. The man says he wants his sons and the dinars
back. As Capt. Ray Osorio mouths the words "repeat caller," Wood cuts the
Iraqi off.

"This caller has called before," Wood says. "I don't think he wants me to
tell Tikrit and Salahuddin province why his kids were detained. But it's
a safe bet that if his sons are still detained, there's a good reason for
it."

Hitting a theme like a politician reciting a stump speech, Wood assures
listeners that half of all detainees are released within 24 hours, but
that those held longer usually are found with material evidence of
wrongdoing.

The next two callers question how evidence against their relatives was
gathered. False accusations are common in Iraq, used as a way to settle
old scores or gain temporary advantage, Wood says.

Umm Marwa of Tikrit says her brother Hisham Hussein was taken prisoner
after an informant gave false information.

"I'd really like to get face to face with whoever reported him to
coalition forces!" she shouts.

"The truth is, no one likes to think that their family member is capable
of doing something illegal," Wood replies.

The calls come in for an hour--a man with a sick child in dire need of
medical attention, a woman who wants to hire a lawyer for a relative who
was assigned Iraqi counsel.

Wood answers the callers and promises the university officials he will
visit their school within a week to check on progress there.

Then the sign-off comes from the colonel's interpreter, Omar, who
translates Wood's farewell, adapted from a line in the movie "Anchorman:
The Legend of Ron Burgundy" and delivered for the benefit of his men
listening in sweltering Humvees outside.

"Ya, Tikrit: Ebkriy zein," the translator says. "And remember, Tikrit:
Stay classy."
(Chicago Tribune Apr 27 via N.Grace-USA)

............................................

Diverse
Domestic Broadcasting Survey 7 Available
April 21, 2005

The brand new Domestic Broadcasting Survey 7 from the Danish Shortwave
Club International is now available.

More details at http://www.dswci.org/dbs

The 2005 Domestic Broadcasting Survey is out 44 pages of indispensable SW
reference material divided into four parts:

  I Tropical Bands Survey
 II Domestic Stations in the International Bands
III Clandestine List
 IV List of Stations Deleted from the DBS since 2001.

The Clandestine List is itself divided into four parts: official stations
in autonomous regions; opposition groups in exile and other NGOs leasing
airtime from international broadcasters; clandestine programs from
official broadcasters; and covert broadcasts by opposition groups.

All compiled by DXplorer Anker Peterson for the DSWCI, and up-to-the min
accurate.
The DBS is distributed primarily by E-mail.

Prices: DKK 40.00 / EUR 5.00 / USD 7.00 / GBP 4.00 / 6 IRCs.
The printed edition is DKK 75.00 / EUR 10.00 / USD 15.00 / GBP 6.00 / SEK
100.00
Cash preferred, no checks.

Orders to: DSWCI, c/o Bent Nielsen, Egekrogen 14, DK-3500 Vaerloese,
Denmark.
(Apr 21, 2005 via A.Petersen-DNK)

............................................

Diverse
Hearts, Minds, And Dollars
April 23, 2005

Article originally posted at:
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/050425/25roots.htm

In an Unseen Front in the War on Terrorism, America is Spending
Millions...To Change the Very Face of Islam

By David E. Kaplan
US News and World Report

As war games go, this one was unique: the first-ever exercise on
"strategic communications," its sponsors said. It was July 2003, and the
government's leading players in winning the "war of ideas" against
terrorism had gathered at National Defense University, in Washington,
D.C. There were crisis managers from the White House, diplomats from the
State Department, Pentagon specialists in psyops--psychological
operations. Washington's quick victory over Saddam Hussein's Army that
spring had done little to quell surging anti-Americanism overseas. Across
the Muslim world--including U.S. allies like Indonesia and Jordan--polls
showed Osama bin Laden a more trusted figure than George W. Bush.

The war game used an all-too-real scenario: As violent anti-American
protests rocked a host of Muslim countries, pro-democracy students were
being murdered in Iran while terrorists in Iraq were being hailed as
patriots. The job for the government's top information warriors was
daunting: improve the image of America in the Muslim world and help
foster a stable democracy in Iraq. Halfway through the exercise, however,
the war game was abruptly stopped. "Things were so dysfunctional,"
recalls one participant, "we saw little point in playing through the
scenario."

The problems, others said, were a mirror of what a dozen studies say has
gone wrong in what may be the most critical front in the war on terrorism
today--the battle for hearts and minds: no one in charge, no national
strategy, and a glaring lack of resources. From the CIA to the State
Department, America's once formidable means of influencing its enemies
and telling its story abroad had crumbled, along with the fall of
communism. "In the battle of ideas," said Marc Ginsberg, a former
ambassador to Morocco, "we unilaterally disarmed."

"Radioactive." No more. Today, Washington is fighting back. After
repeated missteps since the 9/11 attacks, the U.S. government has
embarked on a campaign of political warfare unmatched since the height of
the Cold War. From military psychological-operations teams and CIA covert
operatives to openly funded media and think tanks, Washington is plowing
tens of millions of dollars into a campaign to influence not only Muslim
societies but Islam itself. The previously undisclosed effort was
identified in the course of a four-month U.S. News investigation, based
on more than 100 interviews and a review of a dozen internal reports and
memorandums. Although U.S. officials say they are wary of being drawn
into a theological battle, many have concluded that America can no longer
sit on the sidelines as radicals and moderates fight over the future of a
politicized religion with over a billion followers. The result has been
an extraordinary--and growing--effort to influence what officials
describe as an Islamic reformation.

Among the magazine's findings:

The White House has approved a classified new strategy, dubbed Muslim
World Outreach, that for the first time states that the United States has
a national security interest in influencing what happens within Islam.
Because America is, as one official put it, "radioactive" in the Islamic
world, the plan calls for working through third parties--moderate Muslim
nations, foundations, and reform groups--to promote shared values of
democracy, women's rights, and tolerance.

In at least two dozen countries, Washington has quietly funded Islamic
radio and TV shows, coursework in Muslim schools, Muslim think tanks,
political workshops, or other programs that promote moderate Islam.
Federal aid is going to restore mosques, save ancient Korans, even build
Islamic schools. This broad engagement with Islam has raised questions
about whether the funding is legal, given the constitutional line between
church and state.

The CIA is revitalizing programs of covert action that once helped win
the Cold War, targeting Islamic media, religious leaders, and political
parties. The agency is receiving "an exponential increase in money,
people, and assets" to help it influence Muslim societies, says a senior
intelligence official. Among the tactics: working with militants at odds
with al Qaeda and waging secret campaigns to discredit the worst
anti-American zealots.

Despite the surge of activity, Washington's efforts to win hearts and
minds remain chaotic. Staffers on the White House National Security
Council have drafted over a hundred papers proposing action against
Islamist propaganda and political activity, sources say, yet almost none
have been acted upon. To help remedy the situation, the White House is
creating a new position, a deputy national security adviser for strategic
communication and global outreach.

The push for hearts and minds comes amid hopeful signs, with a string of
successful elections in the Middle East and anti-Syria protests in
Lebanon. The events have boosted the Bush administration's hopes for the
region, but some experts on terrorism and the Muslim world say the
problems are so deep-seated they may be growing worse, not better. A
December report by the CIA-based National Intelligence Council predicts
that masses of unemployed, alienated youth in the Arab world "will swell
the ranks of those vulnerable to terrorist recruitment."

Even as the insurgency in Iraq shows signs of losing steam,
anti-Americanism now reaches across every strata of the Muslim world.
Rumors that U.S. soldiers harvest organs from dying Iraqis or that
Washington caused the tsunami to kill Muslims appear in major Arab media.
Slick jihadist music videos and recruiting CD s sell briskly on the
streets of Arab capitals. Many of the region's leaders believe America is
at war with the Arab world, or with Islam itself, according to a March
report by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. "U.S.-Arab
relations," the report concludes, "are at their lowest point in
generations."

The tools with which to fight back are varied. To the CIA, they are
covert operations involving political influence and propaganda. At the
Pentagon, they are called psyops or strategic-influence efforts. At the
State Department, it's called public diplomacy. All seek to use
information to influence, inform, and motivate America's friends and
enemies abroad. Many of these tools have fallen into disuse. Many are
controversial, particularly in light of recent revelations that
administration officials have peddled fake video news reports and paid
columnists to boost policies here at home. But to those toiling on the
front lines against terrorism, the war of ideas--and the tools to fight
it--are essential. How those tools have come back into use, and what
Washington is doing with them, is a story that begins a half century ago,
in the heyday of Soviet communism.

At the peak of the Cold War, the U.S. government fielded a worldwide
network of propagandists, publicists, and payoff artists. The United
States Information Agency (USIA) ran hundreds of information specialists
abroad and produced enough films to rival Hollywood's top studios, all to
sell the world on the goodness of America--and the evils of communism.
There were USIA-run cultural centers and libraries in foreign capitals,
Fulbright Scholarships and other exchange programs from the State
Department, plus the broadcasts of Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty.
The CIA's covert payoffs, for better or worse, bought the allegiance of
entire political parties in Italy and Japan. Other funds went secretly to
sympathetic journalists, scholars, and labor leaders.

Exposes of CIA funding and abuses took their toll starting in the late
1960s, curtailing many of the secret programs. With the implosion of
communism, Congress set about searching for a "peace dividend" and pared
back what programs of influence remained. Convinced that USIA was a Cold
War relic, conservatives in 1999 forced the Clinton administration to
collapse the agency into the State Department. Hundreds of staffers were
let go or retired, cutting the nation's public diplomacy corps by as much
as 40 percent. American libraries abroad were shuttered, and exchange
programs and foreign broadcasting dropped by a third. By the time al
Qaeda's pilots flew their hijacked planes into Lower Manhattan, the U.S.
government had ceded management of America's image abroad to Hollywood
producers and rap musicians.

"Spring chickens?" After the 9/11 attacks, U.S. officials began to ponder
how to get their message out. The Taliban, for all their backwardness,
were scoring propaganda successes, and much of the Muslim world refused
to believe that Arabs were even behind the attacks on the Pentagon and
the World Trade Center. To fight back, officials set up Coalition
Information Centers in Washington, London, and Islamabad, Pakistan. But
the centers focused largely on breaking news, putting out fires in a
24-hour news cycle the likes of which the Cold War had never seen.
Responding to the world's media, including the often-inflammatory new
Arab satellite network called al Jazeera, left little time to formulate a
strategy that got at the roots of Islamic terrorism.

Pulling out those roots was a task more fitting for the CIA, the White
House concluded. Just weeks after 9/11, in a secret national security
directive, President Bush gave the CIA carte blanche to wage a worldwide
war against al Qaeda. Among the activities authorized: propaganda and
political warfare. But when it came to campaigns of influence, the
agency's clandestine service was "dead as a doornail," says former Middle
East operative Reuel Marc Gerecht. Once staffed by hundreds, the CIA's
strategic influence section was down to some 20 people by late 2001,
sources tell U.S. News . "We had precious few assets left," says another
agency veteran. "And none of them were spring chickens." When a group of
outsiders visited the unit, one recalls, they were literally met by a
woman with a walker.

At the Pentagon, top officials wondered why more wasn't being done. The
military's psyop units ran airborne TV and radio stations, showered
millions of leaflets on countries, and distributed everything from comic
books to giant kites in order to sway minds. But they had little know-how
in combating a global movement of radical Islam. In response, military
leaders ordered up their own operation--a new Office of Strategic
Influence, charged with waging an information war against Islamic
terrorism and the ideology behind al Qaeda. But stung by misleading
reports that it would spread disinformation, OSI closed its doors just
four months after it opened.

The war of ideas fared little better at the State Department. To run
public diplomacy, Secretary of State Colin Powell brought in Charlotte
Beers, the only person to have served as chairman of two of the top 10
worldwide advertising agencies. But her workplace, as she later put it,
was "a clumsy camel" of an agency--skilled, even brilliant, at dealing
with other governments but shy and slow-footed at taking its case to the
masses. Worse, the surviving USIA staffers, she found, were a demoralized
lot, spread across a bureaucracy that cared little about their work. Nor
was there much money. The entire annual budget for public diplomacy was
equal to what the Pentagon spent in a day. Despite White House utterances
about winning the war of ideas, it was a tough sell, even for one of the
world's top ad people. "We were asking them to deal with intangible
values like emotion, religion, and trust," she told U.S. News . "It
wasn't easy." Beers poured what funds she had into a pilot project to
open doors overseas--TV clips showcasing the lives of Muslim Americans.
While criticized in the press, the spots actually played well with
Muslims abroad, studies showed. But after 18 months, Beers had seen
enough. She quit in March 2003, just as U.S. troops headed into Iraq.

To millions of Muslims, Washington's toppling of Saddam seemed to confirm
the imperialist caricature painted by its worst enemies: an America that
invades and occupies an oil-rich Arab nation, thumbs its nose at the
world, supports Israel at the expense of the Palestinians, calls for
democracy but relies on strongmen from Egypt to Pakistan. "The U.S. could
have the prophet Muhammad doing public relations, and it wouldn't help,"
argued Osama Siblani, publisher of the weekly Arab American News in
Dearborn, Mich. "I don't believe that people hate movie stars and Burger
King. They hate what the U.S. is doing to their lives."

Regardless of where one stood on the Iraq war, it was clear Washington
needed to do a far better job at getting out its message. Complaints were
piling up at the White House: In fighting for hearts and minds, America
had no strategy and few resources for the job. It fell to the National
Security Council, charged with coordinating the government's sprawling
national security apparatus, to sort things out. Under then National
Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, officials in mid-2002 formed two
interagency committees, whose members were to include the government's
top specialists in waging the war of ideas. The first, on "strategic
communication," focused on public diplomacy; the other, on "information
strategy," was created by classified memorandum and handled covert
activity. Neither group fared well.

Those working on covert plans tried to jump-start an information
offensive that would discredit al Qaeda and its allies. One staffer,
Arnold Abraham, ran a panel designed to attack Islamist propaganda. In a
paper last year at the National War College, Abraham wrote that his group
"developed 50 different position papers with proposed courses of action,
but despite very positive feedback on content, only a mere handful of the
actions were operationalized." The number of proposals later topped 100,
sources say, and almost none were taken seriously by their bosses. Among
the ideas: using music, comics, poetry, and the Internet to get across
America's views to the Arab world.

The fate of the NSC's strategic communication group was worse. Charged
with crafting a national strategy on public diplomacy, the group met
several times and then fell apart from lack of leadership. Its last
meeting was over 18 months ago. Back at the State Department, meanwhile,
Ambassador Margaret Tutwiler had, at the urging of the White House, taken
on the job of public diplomacy chief. But Tutwiler lasted only six
months, and in June last year the job was vacant again. By the end of
Bush's first term, the position had lacked an appointed leader for half
his administration.

"No virgins." Why the lack of priority? Fighting bloody wars in
Afghanistan and Iraq took the lion's share of attention, to be sure. Yet
in public, top administration officials seemed emphatic. "This is a
battle of ideas and a battle for minds," declared the Pentagon's No. 2
man, Paul Wolfowitz, in 2002. "To win the war on terror, we must win a
war of ideas," agreed Condoleezza Rice a year later. But those working
below them saw a decided lack of interest. "The principals have not
indicated this is a priority," bemoaned one key staffer, speaking of
cabinet-level officials. "They just didn't get it."

There were other reasons. Attempts at forging a national strategy
repeatedly failed. Policymakers couldn't even agree on the
target--worldwide terrorism or Islamic extremism, or on its root
causes--poverty, Saudi funding, misunderstood U.S. policies, or something
else. Interagency meetings on the topic were "agonizing," one participant
recalled. "We couldn't clarify what path to take, so it was dropped."
Another key factor was religion. Going after the roots of Islamic
fundamentalism would drag Washington into a battle involving mosques,
mullahs, and Scripture, argued some, and that went against 200 years of
U.S. church-state relations. The inevitable turf wars also came into
play. The war of ideas cut across otherwise-neat lines of responsibility
in bureaucratic Washington. At the Pentagon and the NSC, public-affairs
staffers warily eyed psyop officers who argued that public diplomacy,
press relations, and psychological operations should be united under a
single information strategy. White House veterans of tough political
campaigns brought a short-term, manage-the-news outlook to what others
thought would take a generation to fix. As a result, by mid-2004--nearly
three years after 9/11--the government still had no one in charge of
winning the war of ideas and no strategy for winning it. That summer,
Government Accountability Office investigators told Congress they found
public diplomacy staffers without guidance and a department short of
linguists and information officers. "Everybody who knows how to do this
has been screaming," complained one insider. "There are no virgins in
this."

A few bright spots emerged. A growing chorus of criticism from Congress
and the press helped gain big funding boosts for public diplomacy and
foreign aid programs. The administration kicked off major new initiatives
in foreign broadcasting--Radio Sawa, a pop music-news station in 2002,
and Alhurra, a satellite-TV news network in 2004, both aimed at Arab
audiences. The CIA's strategic influence unit and the Pentagon's psyop
group also won major funding increases.

But the breakthrough finally came last summer, sources say, when the NSC
began reworking the White House's National Strategy for Combating
Terrorism. In 2003, officials had released an earlier, public version of
the document, but there is a larger, classified edition that includes
annexes dealing with key objectives, among them terrorism finance and
winning the war of ideas. Staffers rewrote the ideas section with bold,
new language and fashioned it into a strategy called Muslim World
Outreach. Aimed at strengthening the hand of moderates, the plan
acknowledges that America has done poorly in reaching out to them. But it
goes one big step further, stating that the United States and its allies
have a national security interest not only in what happens in the Islamic
world but within Islam itself, according to three sources who have seen
the document. It further states that because America is limited to what
it can do in a religious struggle, the nation must rely on partners who
share values like democracy, women's rights, and tolerance. Among those
partners: allied Muslim states, private foundations, and nonprofit
groups.

Approved by President Bush, the Muslim World Outreach strategy is now
being implemented across the government. But it has stirred controversy.
"The Cold War was easy," says a knowledgeable official. "It was a
struggle against a godless political ideology. But this has theological
elements. It goes to the core of American belief that we don't mess with
freedom of religion. Do we have any authority to influence this debate?"
The answer, for now, appears to be yes. "You do it quietly," says Zeyno
Baran, a terrorism analyst at the Nixon Center who advised on the
strategy. "You provide money and help create the political space for
moderate Muslims to organize, publish, broadcast, and translate their
work." Baran, an expert on Islam in central Asia, says the dilemma for
Americans is that the ideological challenge of our day comes in the form
of a religion--militant Islam, replete with its political manifestos,
edicts, and armies. "Religion is just not an issue American policymakers
are comfortable discussing," she says. "But we're talking about a fascist
ideology."

In crafting their strategy, U.S. officials are taking pages from the Cold
War playbook of divide and conquer. One of the era's great successes was
how Washington helped break off moderate socialists from hard-core
Communists overseas. "That's how we're thinking. . . . It's something we
talk about all the time," says Peter Rodman, a longtime aide to Henry
Kissinger and now the Pentagon's assistant secretary of defense for
international security affairs. "In those days, it was covert. Now, it's
more open." Officials credit publicly funded programs like the National
Endowment for Democracy, which have poured millions into Ukraine and
other democratizing nations.

The role of Saudi Arabia has repeatedly come up in discussions of the new
strategy, sources say. Fueled by its vast oil wealth, the Saudis are
estimated to have spent up to $75 billion since 1975 to expand their
fundamentalist sect, Wahhabism, worldwide. The kingdom has funded
hundreds of mosques, schools, and Islamic centers abroad, spreading a
once obscure sect of Islam widely blamed for preaching distrust of
nonbelievers, anti-Semitism, and near-medieval attitudes toward women.
Saudi-funded charities have been implicated in backing jihadist movements
in some 20 countries. Saudi officials say they've cracked down on
extremists, but U.S. strategists would like to see opportunities for less
fundamentalist brands of Islam. Reform may be more likely to come from
outside the Arab world. "Look to the periphery," predicts a knowledgeable
official. "That's where change will come." One solution being pushed:
offering backdoor U.S. support to reformers tied to Sufism, a tolerant
branch of Islam.

Another strategy being pursued is to make peace with radical Muslim
figures who eschew violence. At the top of the list: the Muslim
Brotherhood, the pre-eminent Islamist society, founded in 1928 and now
with tens of thousands of followers worldwide. Many brotherhood members,
particularly in Egypt and Jordan, are at serious odds with al Qaeda. "I
can guarantee that if you go to some of the unlikely points of contact in
the Islamic world, you will find greater reception than you thought,"
says Milt Bearden, whose 30-year CIA career included long service in
Muslim societies. "The Muslim Brotherhood is probably more a part of the
solution than it is a part of the problem." Indeed, sources say U.S.
intelligence officers have been meeting not only with the Muslim
Brotherhood but also with members of the Deobandi sect in Pakistan, whose
fundamentalism schooled the Taliban and inspired an army of al Qaeda
followers. Cooperative clerics have helped tamp down fatwas calling for
anti-American jihad and persuaded jailed militants to renounce violence.
These sensitive ties have led to at least one breakthrough--the July
arrest in Pakistan of al Qaeda's Muhammad Naeem Noor Khan, whose computer
held surveillance files of the New York Stock Exchange, the World Bank,
and other financial targets. Khan's capture led to a dozen arrests in
London. "Engagement," says one official, "is absolutely key."

"Blowback" The emergence of the Muslim World Outreach strategy comes as
America's frontline troops in the war of ideas may finally be hitting
their stride. Despite its slow start, the CIA has received dramatic
increases in money, people, and assets. It still lacks an integrated
approach to attacking the roots of Islamic terrorism, insiders say, but
individual CIA stations overseas are making some gutsy and innovative
moves. Among them: pouring money into neutralizing militant, anti-U.S.
preachers and recruiters. "If you found out that Mullah Omar is on one
street corner doing this, you set up Mullah Bradley on the other street
corner to counter it," explains one recently retired official. In
more-serious cases, he says, recruiters would be captured and
"interrogated."

Intelligence operatives have set up bogus jihad websites and targeted the
Arab news media, but they are being exceedingly cautious. Unlike the good
old days of the Cold War, spreading propaganda in the Internet age can
easily result in "blowback," with stories ending up in the U.S. media.
"They're a bit sheepish," says a CIA veteran. Indeed, some of the acts
seem decidedly minor league. "The biggest that I heard about was a large
banner at a major soccer game," adds the former spook. "They considered
it a rousing success." Getting talented officers and linguists into the
field also continues to be a problem, made worse by the drain of the Iraq
war. "In Iraq," jokes a former top spy, "we have 300 there, 400 ready to
go, and 400 just back" --virtually the entire overseas staff of the
clandestine service.

At CIA headquarters outside Washington, the agency's analysts have also
been busy. The CIA's Office of Transnational Issues has created a Global
Information and Influence Team, charged with pulling together assessments
of key U.S. targets. A public diplomacy conference hosted by the group in
February focused on strategies to influence six nations, according to an
agenda for the meeting. On the list: China, Egypt, France, Indonesia,
Nigeria, and Venezuela. Also under CIA auspices is a Cyber-Influence
Conference Series, which brings in cutting-edge experts from industry to
explore how to combat terrorist use of the Internet.

The CIA is not alone in the new push for hearts and minds. Regular budget
increases since 9/11 have lifted spending on public diplomacy by more
than 40 percent since 9/11, to nearly $1.3 billion, and more is on the
way. The government's new Arabic broadcasting services--Radio Sawa and
Alhurra TV--are showing some success, despite a barrage of complaints
from critics. Radio Sawa, which features pop music interspersed with
frequent newscasts, is now one of the most popular stations in the Middle
East. Estimates differ, but an ACNielsen survey last year found that
Alhurra, after just six months on the air, was reaching between 20
percent and 33 percent of viewers with satellite dishes in a half-dozen
key Arab nations. There are new initiatives to bring Alhurra to Arab
speakers in Europe, expand Persian broadcasts into Iran, and increase
programming in other key languages.

Many of the shock troops for America's new war of ideas are coming not
from the CIA, nor from the State Department, but from the low-profile
U.S. Agency for International Development. In the three years since 9/11,
spending by the government's top purveyor of foreign aid has nearly
tripled to over $21 billion, and more than half of that is now destined
for the Muslim world. Along with more traditional aid for agriculture and
education are the kind of programs that have spurred change in the former
Soviet Union--training for political organizers and funding for
independent media. Increasingly, those grants are going to Islamic
groups.

"Muppet diplomacy." Records drawn from the State Department, USAID, and
elsewhere reveal a striking array of Islamic projects bankrolled by
American taxpayers since 9/11, stretching to at least 24 countries. In
nine of them, U.S. funds are backing restoration of Muslim holy sites,
including historic mosques in Egypt, Pakistan, and Turkmenistan. In
Kirgizstan, embassy funding helped restore a major Sufi shrine. In
Uzbekistan, money has gone to preserve antique Islamic manuscripts,
including 20 Korans, some dating to the 11th century. In Bangladesh,
USAID is training mosque leaders on development issues. In Madagascar,
the embassy even sponsored an intermosque sports tournament. Also being
funded: Islamic media of all sorts, from book translations to radio and
TV in at least a half-dozen nations. Often the aid doesn't need an
explicit Islamic theme, as in what boosters are calling Muppet Diplomacy.
An Arabic version of Sesame Street has become one of the most popular
shows on Egyptian TV, and along with lessons on literacy and hygiene, the
program stresses values of religious tolerance. Among the show's key
backers: USAID, which is helping bring out a pan-Arab satellite edition
this year.

In no country is the effort more pronounced than Indonesia, the world's
largest Muslim nation, with 240 million people. A bastion of moderate
Islam, the nation has nevertheless given birth to several radical Islamic
groups that include al Qaeda offshoot Jemaah Islamiyah, responsible for
the 2002 Bali bombings that killed 202. Working behind the scenes, USAID
now helps fund over 30 Muslim organizations in the country. Among the
programs: media production, workshops for Islamic preachers, and
curriculum reform for schools from rural academies to Islamic
universities. One talk show on Islam and tolerance is relayed to radio
stations in 40 cities and sends a weekly column to over a hundred
newspapers. Also on the grants list: Islamic think tanks that are
fostering a body of scholarly research showing liberal Islam's
compatibility with democracy and human rights.

The grants, technically, aren't secret, but they are, as one official put
it, "done in a subtle manner." Open ties to U.S. funds could spell the
end of programs in volatile regions and even endanger those who work in
them. Indeed, security is such a factor for USAID workers that the agency
now relies largely on local hires. In Pakistan, where the agency once
fielded hundreds of employees, it now has only two dozen.

Even when USAID does want to take credit, anti-American sentiment can
make it tough. During a mission to Cairo by a State Department panel on
public diplomacy, visitors were repeatedly told how grateful Egyptians
were to the Japanese for building their opera house. Yet they seemed
wholly unaware that Egypt is the second-largest recipient of U.S.
aid--nearly $2 billion a year--and that Americans have funded Cairo's
systems for clean water, sewage, and electricity. U.S. funds also saved
from water damage that nation's oldest mosque, built in A.D. 642, yet
Egyptian officials were reluctant to put USAID's red, white, and blue
sign outside the building. Frustrated, top agency officials decided to
create their own public diplomacy corps and will soon have information
specialists attached to all USAID missions.

For those worried about future generations of jihadists, what to do about
madrasahs--traditional Islamic schools--is a major concern. The 9/11
commission, in its final report last year, branded the worst of them
"incubators for violent extremism." A World Bank study puts the number of
madrasah students in Pakistan alone at nearly 500,000. To attack the
problem, U.S. officials are employing a variety of tactics. Perhaps the
most surprising program is in Uganda, which hosts a large Muslim
minority. Last year, the embassy announced it was funding construction of
three Islamic elementary schools. "We're in the madrasah business,"
quipped one terrorism analyst. In the nearby Horn of Africa, the U.S.
military is running a model program aimed at winning hearts and minds by,
among other things, directly competing with the madrasahs. Military
officers gather intelligence on where militants plan to start religious
schools, Marine Maj. Gen. Samuel Helland told U.S. News ; they then
target those areas by building up new public schools and the local
infrastructure.

Sisyphus. Elsewhere, U.S. officials are working quietly through third
parties to train madrasah teachers to add math, science, civics, and
health to their curriculum. The most ambitious program is in Pakistan,
where sensitivities run so high that allegations of U.S. funding are
enough to prompt parents to pull their children from schools, USAID
staffers say. The agency is working through private foundations and the
Pakistan Ministry of Education on what officials call a "model madrasah"
program that may eventually include over a thousand schools. Drawing the
line on engagement, though, can be tough. In January, the U.S. Embassy
there ordered an abrupt end to a $1 million contract to supply Internet
access to scores of madrasahs and other schools in Pakistan's most
restive provinces. The reason: an arrest of a militant mistakenly thought
to be tied to one of the schools.

U.S. taxpayer dollars going to Islamic radio, Islamic TV, Islamic
schools, mosques, and monuments--no wonder some officials find the
strategy controversial. USAID staffers argue that as long as they offer
assistance to all groups and their grants are meant for secular
activities, they are allowed to fund religious organizations. "We
structure our programming to be in compliance with 'establishment clause'
case law," says Jeffrey Grieco, a USAID spokesman, referring to the First
Amendment's church-state divide. But some legal experts question whether
America's growing involvement with Islam is legal, given that American
courts have found that tax dollars may not be used to support religion.
"For us to be doing this is probably unconstitutional," says Herman
Schwartz, a constitutional law professor at American University. In 1991,
Schwartz and the American Civil Liberties Union won a case against USAID
to stop it from funding 20 Catholic and Jewish schools overseas. "But
that seems a long time ago," Schwartz adds. "I don't know if anyone would
support that kind of suit today."

Times have certainly changed. The nation's highest officials now seem
convinced that America's greatest ideological foe is a highly politicized
form of radical Islam and that Washington and its allies cannot afford to
stand by. More proof that the administration is finally engaged in waging
a war of ideas came last month, when the president tapped his longtime
communications adviser, Karen Hughes, to be the State Department's new
head of public diplomacy. Although lacking foreign expertise, Hughes
brings proven communications skills and, equally important, a direct line
to the top. The White House is also slated to announce a new position at
the National Security Council, a deputy national security adviser for
strategic communication and global outreach, whose job will be to goad
the bureaucracy into further action.

The increased focus, already, it seems, is bearing fruit. A poll of
Indonesians conducted last month after the tsunami relief efforts led by
the U.S. military found that America's unfavorability rating had plunged
from a horrid 83 percent to 54 percent; support for bin Laden, by
contrast fell by more than half. It would be folly, however, to think
that the road ahead will be easy. Veterans of information warfare say the
amounts being spent today are still inadequate, while a new Government
Accountability Office study highlights an array of problems with U.S.
public diplomacy strategy. Hughes's predecessor at State, acting
Assistant Secretary Patricia Harrison, told U.S. News that she felt at
times like Sisyphus, the Greek king banished to forever push a boulder up
a steep hill, only to have it roll down again. The lesson Washington
needs to learn, Harrison says, goes back to the Cold War--that the world
matters and America needs to stay engaged. "You never declare victory,"
she warns. "You do not declare that it's the end of history and go home.
The job is to continue pushing the boulder up and up, to keep investing,
keep connecting."

With Aamir Latif, Kevin Whitelaw and Julian E. Barnes

SIDE BARS

How rocket scientists got into the hearts-and-minds game
Douglas Feith, the Pentagon's hawkish under secretary of defense, was on
the phone with an intriguing offer. It was just weeks after 9/11, and
Feith was talking to Brig. Gen. Simon "Pete" Worden, deputy director of
operations at the U.S. Space Command in Colorado. The nation faced not
just al Qaeda but a global war of ideas against radical Islam, Feith
said, and the Pentagon needed an out-of-the-box thinker. Would Worden
come to Washington? Out-of-the box is a fair description of Worden. An
astronomer by training, he was a principal architect of the Star Wars
missile defense system in the 1980s. When Feith called, he was working on
ways of defending Earth from asteroids. A maverick with a reputation for
getting things done, Worden found Feith's offer irresistible.

Within weeks, Worden was putting together a new Office of Strategic
Influence, with $100 million of Pentagon emergency funds. His 19-person
staff included experts in psychological warfare and specialists on the
Middle East, overseen by veterans of the space program. The Pentagon's
war of ideas was being run, literally, by rocket scientists.

"The atomic bomb." OSI brought in leading scholars and asked some basic
questions: Why do they hate us? How do you cut off terrorist recruitment?
Of special interest were the thousands of Islamic schools, the madrasahs,
in Pakistan's lawless border areas. The impoverished region was a hotbed,
its schools churning out thousands of inflamed jihadists. The conflict
between Islam and the West, Worden concluded, is really a battle between
the 12th and 21st centuries. And America, he thought, ought to play to
its strengths by bringing 21st-century technology to bear. Using
computers and state-of-the-art communications, they would flood the
border region with the most powerful force they could muster--ideas.
Millions of them.

The plan was radical in its simplicity: "to provide direct, unfettered
access to global information," according to an OSI report. Their chief
weapon was to be a WorldSpace digital receiver, an $80 satellite radio
that could pull in over a hundred channels and work virtually anywhere.
OSI began shipping 80,000 of the radios to the border region, with plans
to set up distance-learning channels and expose local children to the
music and ideas of the world. "The target was the kids," Worden says.
"Information is the atomic bomb."

The radios were just Step 1. OSI planned to install Internet kiosks in
villages, using what it called Internet-in-a-box--cheap laptop computers
run by solar cells. Then there was the "universal translator" project:
Worden's staff readied funds to invest in translation software, hoping to
achieve the kind of instant translation seen on Star Trek . OSI planned
to use the software to flood closed societies from Syria to North Korea
with English lessons, literature, and media from the West.

Shades of Orwell? By January, as the Afghan war wound down, top officials
from the Pentagon's Office of Public Affairs began warning that OSI's
work would be seen as propaganda and would damage the military's
credibility. In late February, came Page 1 news stories "exposing" OSI as
scheming to plant "disinformation" in the foreign press that would end up
here at home. Editorials and cable-TV pundits denounced the new office as
"Orwellian" and "duplicitous." In fact, OSI was none of that. The
Pentagon's Office of the General Counsel later scoured the group's
planning documents, E-mails, and internal memorandums and found no
evidence that OSI was plotting to use disinformation. Indeed, the only
time the word appeared was tied to its use by America's enemies. But the
damage was done. Unwilling to endure the bad press, Defense Secretary
Donald Rumsfeld ordered OSI shut down. The office had lasted a mere four
months.

OSI staffers suspected that the Pentagon's public affairs staff had taken
them out in a turf battle. "I can't say anything more than that the
biggest disinformation campaign was leveled at us," OSI's Lt. Col. Marty
France told the Los Angeles Times. Worden told friends that the affair
effectively ended his career; he retired a year later. In his first
public remarks on the affair, Worden calls himself "a casualty of
friendly fire" but says the real tragedy was the loss of OSI. "In a war
of ideas, we need to figure out how to prevail," he says. "This is about
a lot more than bombs and bullets."

As for those satellite radios, some 25,000 of them did make it to
Pakistan. But red tape and OSI's collapse left the project unfinished.
The Pentagon, however, has not given up on the premise behind OSI. U.S.
News has learned that a new office--a 70-person unit called the Joint
Psyop Support Element--has been quietly created to replace Worden's team.
This time, Pentagon brass put the new unit at the U.S. Special Operations
Command in Tampa--far from the turf wars of Washington. -David E. Kaplan

The enemy of my enemy...
With his knockoff designer handbags, hats, and gloves, Manhattan street
vendor Omar Thiem hardly seems like a guy out on the front lines in the
war on terrorism. Like many of the city's itinerant traders, Thiem is a
devout Sufi from West Africa, and a portion of his earnings goes to
support the Tijani order, a vibrant, tolerant sect of Islam.
Increasingly, U.S. strategists believe, Thiem and his fellow Sufis may be
among the world's best weapons against al Qaeda and other radical
Islamists.

From the dancers of Turkey's whirling dervishes to the seductive Afropop
of Senegal's Youssou N'Dour, Sufis and their mystical ways strike a
marked contrast to such fundamentalist sects as Wahhabism, whose
strictest imams ban music, dancing, and even romantic love. Long at odds
with fundamentalists, the Sufis have seen their shrines destroyed and
been forced underground in countries like Saudi Arabia, where their
mysticism and worship of saints are branded apostate. But Sufism is
staging a comeback, with tens of millions of faithful in Central Asia,
Southeast Asia, and West Africa, plus hundreds of millions more who
follow Sufi traditions. Sufi activists say they're up against billions of
dollars spent by state-sponsored Saudi missionaries intent on spreading
Wahhabism. "It would be foolish to ignore this confrontation," says
anthropologist Robert Dannin, who has studied African Sufis and likens
their clash with fundamentalists to "a guerrilla war."

The conflict has caught the attention of U.S. policymakers, who, while
they can't endorse Sufism directly, are pushing to strengthen those
associated with it. "The moderates don't have a chance unless America
steps in," says Hedieh Mirahmadi, director of WORDE, a Washington,
D.C.-based group that seeks to foster greater Muslim-western
understanding. A practicing Sufi, Mirahmadi has advised U.S. officials on
how best to proceed. "The goal is to preserve things that are the
ideological antithesis of radical Islam," she says. Among the tactics:
using U.S. aid to restore Sufi shrines overseas, to preserve and
translate its classic medieval manuscripts, and to push governments to
encourage a Sufi renaissance in their own countries. The idea has already
caught on with King Mohammed VI of Morocco, who has quietly brought
together local Sufi leaders there and offered millions of dollars in aid
to use as a bulwark against radical fundamentalism. -David E. Kaplan

"Going Global" PDF doc:
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/050425/25global.pdf
(USNews.com Apr 23 via N.Grace-USA)

............................................

Diverse
Radio Station Key in Ecuador Protests
April 21, 2005

Article originally posted at:
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050422/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/ec
uador_rebel_radio

By Ian James,
Associated Press

QUITO, Ecuador - Applause fills the radio studio when the host mentions
the tens of thousands of Ecuadoreans who poured into the streets in
protest, withstood clouds of tear gas and eventually forced President
Lucio Gutierrez from office.

"A minute of applause. For whom? For you," program chief Luis Pozo told
listeners Thursday, holding the microphone close. "In eight days of
protests, we've been able to get rid of Lucio Gutierrez!"

His alternative radio station, La Luna 99.3 FM, played a key role in
crystallizing public disillusionment with Gutierrez and galvanizing
protests that brought down his government Wednesday.

Gutierrez was still in Ecuador on Friday and was believed to be stranded
inside the Brazilian ambassador's residence waiting to leave for Brazil,
which has granted him asylum. Dozens of protesters blocked the compound's
two main gates.

While the protesters chanted "Lucio, turn yourself in!," La Luna
listeners called in to congratulate the radio station for coordinating a
triumphant protest movement.

The station had backed Gutierrez when the ex-army colonel was elected in
2002 on pledges of doing away with corruption and helping the poor. But
its left-leaning directors, along with many in Ecuador, grew to revile
Gutierrez as they perceived him to be taking on dictatorial powers while
turning a blind eye to corruption and not fulfilling his promises.

In recent weeks, commentators on La Luna — which means "The Moon" — began
demanding Gutierrez's ouster and opened the phone lines to angry callers,
who said street protests were the only solution. The station promoted
protests with nightly themes: marchers banged on pots and pans one night,
popped balloons in the streets the next and then hurled toilet paper.

The protests received strong backing from La Luna director Paco Velasco,
who called Gutierrez a "traitor" and "dictator," predicting his
government would soon fall.

The cause resonated with a wide range of people, from retirees to
housewives with children, who all took to the streets. Past uprisings in
the South American country usually have been led by unionists, students
or indigenous groups.

"For the first time in Ecuador, there were protests without leaders,"
Pozo said. "It was people's indignation against all of the politicians,
against traditional politics."

Protesters drew their main slogan from Gutierrez's own words. After
opponents shouted insults outside his home last week, he called them
"forajidos," or "outlaws."

The radio station embraced the term on the air, and T-shirts began to
appear with the slogan "I'm an outlaw." A banner on the studio wall
reads, "We are outlaws."

Velasco, a 46-year-old former university professor, said he has paid a
high personal price, as he and his family received repeated death
threats. He sent his family into hiding, and he began sleeping at the
station or with friends.

"These last eight days have been bitter," Velasco said. "I haven't been
able to sleep."

Dozens of government supporters descended on the station with torches
April 15, shouting insults that led to a scuffle. No one was injured. But
as anti-government protests persisted, station employees noticed
interference in the signal.

Pozo said it seemed the military was trying to jam broadcasts. The
transmitter's power also mysteriously went out, but the station kept
broadcasting.

Government supporters accused La Luna of fomenting violence, while its
defenders insisted peaceful protests promoted by the station were vital
to ousting Gutierrez.

"It wouldn't have been possible without this radio station," said Jose
Manjarrez, a 63-year-old sign-maker who joined the marches with his wife
and children.

"This station is like the voice of the people," said Ataulfo Tobar, 51,
the station manager who also wrote many of its protest songs.

La Luna's managers say the station is funded through advertising and has
maintained its independence.

Years ago, Velasco used the station to help lead opposition to another
president, Abdala Bucaram, who was accused of corruption and removed from
office by Congress in 1997 for "mental incapacity."

When Wednesday's news came that Congress voted to remove Gutierrez from
office, hundreds of revelers crowded outside the radio station waving
flags, witnesses said. Inside, people hugged and broke into singing the
national anthem.

"I cried when Lucio was overthrown," Pozo said. "I usually don't cry, but
the tears just fell as I sang the national anthem."
(AP Apr 22 via N.Grace-USA)

............................................

El Salvador
El DX en el Cine
April 26, 2005

Hace unas semanas tuve la posibilidad de ver en el cine, a la película
"Voces inocentes", del director mexicano Luis Mandoki, y que desde ya la
recomiendo a todos.
La historia se sitúa en El Salvador de principio de los 80, cuando en
pleno enfrentamiento entre el FMLN y el ejército, los niños eran
reclutados en ambos bandos, casi sin tener alternativas.

Dejando de lado la tragedia y dramatismo -por cierto muy bien logrado-una
de las perlas más interesantes y que más me llamó la atención es cuando
"Chava", el niño protagonista del film, escucha apasionadamente en un
pequeño receptor a "Radio Venceremos". En varios pasajes de la película
aparecen algunos fragmentos grabados
de la emisora.

Sólo tengo presente otra película donde aparece algo así como una
situación de "DX": la premiada película "Los gritos del silencio" (The
Killing Fields, 1984) de Roland Joffé, donde uno de los protagonistas, un
camboyano ex-intérprete de un periodista norteamericano, en pleno "gulag"
del Khmer Rouge sintoniza por un receptor de OC, algunas noticias de "The
Voice of America".

¿Alguien recuerda haber visto, o tiene presente algunas otras películas
donde aparezcan directa o indirectamente algunas de las míticas radios de
la onda corta? Por ejemplo, supongo que debe haber alguna película
española relacionada con la guerra civil que haga mención a Radio España
Independiente.

Sería interesante recopilar un listado de films relacionados con el DX y
la radio.
(J.Zaffora-BA-ARG Apr 26, 2005 in ListaConDig-ML)

............................................

Ethiopia
Two New Radio Programs Target Ethiopia (via TDP)
April 16, 2005

Two new target radio programs (with political background) appeared in the
online schedule of TDP brokered transmissions
http://www.airtime.be/schedule.html:

Tensae Ethiopia Voice of Unity 1500-1600 15660 AM ......s Amharic Africa
Radio Voice of ENUF 1700-1800 12120 AM ....f.s Amharic Africa

The website for the latter is given as http://www.enufforethiopia.org
(B.Trutenau-LTU Apr 16, 2005 in CDX-ML)

............................................

Gambia, The
Save The Gambia Democracy Project to Start Test Transmissions
April 26, 2005

Text of report in English by Radio Netherlands web site on 26 April

Clandestine Radio Watch reports that Save the Gambia Democracy Project
[STGDP] will make test transmissions of a new radio service at 2000-2015
UTC on 27, 28 and 29 April on 9430 kHz. The test broadcasts will contain
excerpts of interviews in Wollof, English and local languages for the
purpose of testing reception inside Gambia and will not contain a station
identification. Formal broadcasts will begin soon thereafter from an
undisclosed transmitter location.

Clandestine Radio Watch says that STGDP is a relatively new movement
formed on Gambian Independence Day, 18 February 2004, after months of
intense online chatter among exiles throughout North America. The group
has sought to make a direct impact on the country's political scene and
successfully brought the fragmented opposition together under the
National Alliance for Democracy and Development (NADD).

Source: Radio Netherlands web site, Hilversum, in English 1500 gmt 26 Apr
05
(BBC Monitoring)

............................................

Gambia, The
STGDP Observations
April 26, 2005

Re : "STGDP URL is http://www.sunugambia.com/"

There is not much there. Most of the info is at:
http://www.sunugambia.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=2

There is this address for donations: STGDP, P.O. Box 48321, Doraville, GA
30362. E-mail address is STGDP@sunugambia.com. I see that Bible Voice via
DTK-Jülich & Nauen uses 9430 at various times before 2000 on some days,
so maybe this is via DTK.
(J.Berg-USA Apr 26, 2005 in DXplorer-ML)

............................................

Georgia
Republic of Abkhazia Radio Observed on Second Shortwave Frequency
April 29, 2005

BBC Monitoring has observed Republic of Abkhazia Radio operating on
9534.75 kHz shortwave, in parallel with its long-used frequency of
9494.75 kHz. This was heard on both frequencies from 0158 gmt on 29 April
2005, opening with orchestral music followed by an interval signal and
identification announcement.

The station has been on the air since 1992, broadcasting from Sukhumi,
capital of Abkhazia, a breakaway region of Georgia where a separatist
movement has fought for independence since the breakup of the Soviet
Union. Using transmitters on mediumwave 1350 kHz and shortwave it
broadcasts programmes in Abkhaz, Georgian and Russian, and when not
carrying its own programmes relays Radio Russia or public radios from the
neighbouring Russian North Caucasus region.
Source: BBC Monitoring research in English 29 Apr 05 (via DXLD-ML)

............................................

Iran
Iran of Tomorrow Movement Opposition Radio Launched
April 21, 2005

Iran of Tomorrow Movement Radio in Farsi was heard on 21 April 2005 on
7490 kHz shortwave from sign-on at 1600 gmt to sign-off at 1645 gmt. The
station announced itself as "Seda-ye Jambushi Iran e Farda".

There is also a web site for the Movement at http://www.sosiran.com which
lists contact details for the radio station as well as details about the
Movement itself. The web site also has audio and video archive material
available. The web site is available in Farsi, English, French and
German.

An associate satellite station is also mentioned on the web site as being
available via Telstar 12, 15 degrees west, 12520 MHz vertical
polarization, S/R 8700, FEC 1/2. However, the actual frequency proved to
be 11494 MHz vertical polarization, S/R 17469, FEC 3/4.

The Clandestine Radio Watch newsletter published on the
http://www.clandestineradio.com web site on 15 April 2005 reported:

"... Discovered on 8 April by Danish monitor Finn Krone, the station
supports the Iran of Tomorrow Movement (IOTM), a new 501c(4) non-profit
organization based in California that seeks to build a coalition movement
of secular and pro-democracy groups under the `SOS Iran' banner. The
group has already launched a 24-hour satellite TV network, XTV, and
claims to support a network of over 2,000 resistance cells within Iran.

"[Web site] http://www.sosiran.com

"The group seeks regime change through peaceful means and, according to
documents published on its web site, encourages regular Iranians living
under the brutal control of the regime's internal security apparatus to
participate in `Thursday Night Black-Outs' and `Friday Afternoon
Walk-Abouts."
Source: BBC Monitoring research 21 Apr 05 (via DXLD 5-067)

............................................

Iran
'Iran Liberty Walk' Sets 209-Mile Route
April 29, 2005

Article originally posted at:
http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=44032

Hundreds, including lawmakers, to promote democratic change

WorldnetDaily.com

Organizers of the "Iran Liberty Walk" to promote peaceful, democratic
change in Tehran announced today the 209-mile route that will take
hundreds of Americans, including lawmakers, through towns and cities
between Philadelphia and the nation's capital.

The two-week event, led by Jerome Corsi, founder of the Iran Freedom
Foundation, will begin May 16 at the Liberty Bell and culminate with a
large demonstration on the Capitol Mall.

Corsi, author of the newly released "Atomic Iran," said reports from the
walk will be broadcast to Iran via radio, television and the Internet,
including live interviews with participants such as Rep. Peter King,
R-Iowa.

Along with sending a signal for peaceful change, the IFF is calling for
civil disobedience from Iranian citizens.

Corsi and the IFF urge Iranians to flood the streets June 17, the date of
the presidential vote, and vote "no" in the "sham elections the mullahs
are planning."

Along the way, Corsi plans to talk to Americans at churches, town halls,
schools and other civic centers about life in Iran.

With many Iranians able to follow the event through foreign broadcasts,
he hopes to provide them with "some background about the real America,
not the fiction trumped up by the Islamic Republic's propaganda machine."

Corsi many native Iranians from across the nation will participate.

"The purpose is to show solidarity with the Iranian people, the vast
majority of whom -- as many as 90 percent or higher -- want the regime
out," he said.

The event will be filmed by Timothy Watkins, producer of the documentary
film "In the Face of Evil," which recounts the courage of Ronald Reagan
and Pope John Paul II and their resolve to stand up to communism.

The planned route is as follows:

STAGE ONE: Philadelphia to Lancaster, Pa. (76 miles)
The walk will follow roughly along Route 30, with stops in and around:
* Philadelphia to Springfield: 9 miles
* Springfield to Ridley Creek State Park: 8 miles
* Ridley Creek State Park to Exton: 14 miles
* Exton to Coatesville (via Downingtown): 13 miles
* Coatesville to Gap: 13 miles
* Gap to Ronks: 9 miles
* Ronks to Lancaster: 10 miles

STAGE TWO: Lancaster, Pa., to York, Pa. (28 miles)
* Lancaster to Columbia: 13 miles
* Columbia to York: 15 miles

STAGE THREE: York, Pa., to Baltimore, Md. (62 miles)
Route 83 and 45
* York to Potosi: 13 miles
* Potosi to New Freedom: 8 miles
* New Freedom to Wiseburg (Gun Powder Falls State Park): 11 miles
* Wiseburg to Cockeysville: 12 miles
* Cockeysville to Woodbrook: 9 miles
* Woodbrook to Baltimore: 9 miles

STAGE FOUR: Baltimore, Md., to Washington, D.C. (43 miles)
* Baltimore to Elkridge: 10 miles
* Elkridge to Laurel: 11 miles
* Laurel to College Park: 10 miles
* College Park to Washington, D.C.: 12 miles
(WND.com Apr 29, 2005 via N.Grace-USA)

............................................

Kurdistan (de facto)
Clandestine Broadcasting Past of Iraqi President and Prime Minister
April 20, 2005

The Parliament and the new leadership of Iraq finally has been settled.
For DX-ers, it is interesting to note the background of the new President
and the new Prime Minister. Mr Jalal Talabani, a Kurdish lawyer, was
elected by the Parliament as President of Iraq on Apr 06. Since 1975 he
has been the leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) with
Headquarter's in the North Eastern city of Sulaymaniyah from where the
Voice of the People of Kurdistan has been broadcasting since 1988.
Nowadays it is heard on 4025 kHz and is regarded as a domestic
broadcasting station in that region of Iraq. PUK wants continued autonomy
of Iraqi Kurdistan, but not independence for the time being.

In contrary to this, the rival Kurdish party in North Western Iraq is the
Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP) which fights for immediate independence
from Baghdad. At present their station - the Voice of Iraqi Kurdistan -
can be heard on 6335 kHz.

Mr. Ibrahim al-Jaafari, an Arab doctor and Chairman of the Shiitic Party
Hezb al-Dawa al-Islamiya, was appointed Prime Minister on Apr 07. In 1980
he had to leave Iraq because Saddam Hussein crushed the leaders of that
Party. He first stayed in Iran, and during 1989-2003 in London from where
he was active in the opposition against Saddam Hussein. "His" clandestine
radio station probably was the Voice of the Islamic Revolution in Iraq,
with programmes produced by the Shii Supreme Council for Islamic
Revolution in Iraq (SCIRI) at 27a Old Gloucester Street in London WC1N,
and broadcast from SW-transmitters of the VOIRI in Iran. These broadcasts
ceased with the fall of Saddam Hussein in April 2003.

(A.Petersen-DNK DSWCI DX Window Apr 20, 2005 via DXLD 5-068)

............................................

Nigeria
Government Cracks Down on Biafra Secessionist Movement
April 19, 2005

Article originally posted at:
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/IRIN/a498a5bed9ce289cdb6e6b4c732
70fd4.htm

LAGOS, 19 April (IRIN) - Fifty-three people who participated in an
unusual soccer tournament last year in Nigeria's main city, Lagos, are
now fighting for dear life.

State prosecutors say the tournament, held in the name of a secessionist
group, the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of
Biafra (MASSOB), amounted to treason. They have demanded the death
penalty.

The accused were arrested in September 2004 and were held in detention
for more than six months before being formally charged in March this
year.

The group, which includes three women, was eventually granted bail on
Monday, 11 April.

"Some of them were arrested while playing football, some while watching
football and some while selling water sachets at the football venue,"
said defence lawyer Anthony Omaghomi, while arguing the case for bail.

Overruling prosecution objections, high court judge Marcel Awokulehin
said the defendants were entitled to bail until they were found guilty of
planning to "levy war against the nation" and inciting Nigerians against
President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Bitter memories of a brutal civil war
By bringing treason charges in this case, the government has indicated a
readiness to use a very heavy hand indeed to crack down against the
increasingly popular separatist movement campaigning for an independent
republic of Biafra in southeastern Nigeria.

For many Nigerians, the very mention of Biafra raises bitter memories of
a brutal civil war nearly 40 years ago that threatened to tear the nation
apart shortly after its independence from Britain.

In 1967, the Igbo people of southeastern Nigeria broke away from the
Nigerian federation to declare the independent state of Biafra.

This contained most of Nigeria's oil wells, so the separatist move
threatened to deprive the rest of the federation of its main source of
revenue.

A civil war ensued that claimed more than one million lives as people in
the steadily shrinking Biafran enclave succumbed to famine.

By 1970 the insurrection had been totally crushed and the immediate
threat of Africa's most populous country splitting up into a series of
tribal-based states had been averted.

But the problem has not gone away.

Non-violent protest
Ralph Uwazurike, the lawyer and politician who formed MASSOB in 1999,
insists that his own campaign to resurrect the sovereign state of Biafra
is completely non-violent.

His movement has organised a series of rallies, demonstrations, boycotts
and stay-at-home strikes and the infamous Lagos soccer tournament to
campaign for its demands.

MASSOB has often made symbolic declarations of independence during these
events.

Support for the movement has grown as Nigerians in general have become
more and more disenchanted with the present system of federal government.

Uwazurike's claims that successive governments have oppressed and
discriminated against Nigeria's estimated 30 million Igbos have struck a
chord among thousands of young Igbos, born after the civil war, who have
joined MASSOB's ranks.

The government initially saw MASSOB as an irritant, but its attitude
hardened after the group organised a successful stay-at-home protest on
26 August 2004. This not only shut down private businesses and markets in
the southeast, but also in major cities such as Lagos and Kano, where
Igbos are dominate in commerce.

"It was not just a vote for MASSOB but also a protest against Obasanjo's
government," said Uche Okereke, a political science lecturer at the Awka
university in Anambra state in southeastern Nigeria.

"People in this region believe they're still being punished for the
Biafra war, and will point to the region's bad roads, poor electricity
supply and absence of Igbos in top military and security positions to
illustrate allegations of systematic neglect by successive regimes," he
added.

But Okereke said that while many Igbos have increasingly questioned the
existence of Nigeria as a nation, those who, like MASSOB, want to break
up the federation, are not yet the majority.

"Many of those who are asking for Biafra are those who didn't experience
the civil war," said Sylvester Mba, a 58-year-old engineer, who fought
for Biafra during the civil war.

"If they had experienced Biafra, they would know it is not necessarily
the solution to bad government," he said.

Seeking the peaceful break-up of Nigeria
MASSOB has never tried to put its popularity to the test by contesting
elections - the movement simply says it is pushing for a constitutional
conference to agree the peaceful break-up of Nigeria.

Obasanjo convened a three-month constitutional conference in the federal
capital Abuja earlier this year to review the links that hold Nigeria
together. But the 400 delegates, who debated the country's future there,
were all personally invited by the president. MASSOB didn't get an
invitation.

Obasanjo made very clear in his speech to open the conference on 21
February that the question of any part of Nigeria breaking away from the
federation was not up for discussion.

"The National Political and Reform Conference is not designed to
dismember or disintegrate Nigeria," Obasanjo told the 400 delegates
assembled in the federal capital Abuja.

"The conference is about designing the most appropriate and relevant
institutional mechanisms for managing our diversity and differences," he
added.

Nigeria's 126 million people belong to about 250 different ethnic groups.
But the country is dominated by the Hausa/Fulanis of the north, the
Yoruba of the southwest and the Igbos of the southeast.

Rigged elections increase disenchantment
According to Okereke, sympathy for MASSOB has been growing since the
general elections of April and May 2003, which were marred by widespread
allegations of vote rigging.

The end result in southeastern Nigeria was that the All Progressive Grand
Alliance Party (AGPA), a mainly Igbo party led by Chukwuemeka Ojukwu, the
leader of the Biafran secessionist movement in the 1960s, was eclipsed by
the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) of President Olusegun
Obasanjo.

Ojukwu, who is now 71, also ran unsuccessfully against Obasanjo for the
presidency.

Since then, in-fighting between rival factions of the PDP in Anambra
State, has led several local party leaders to declare publicly that they
helped to rig the 2003 elections heavily in the PDP's favour.

Increasing public disgust with the PDP and Obasanjo's government has
played into MASSOB's hands.

In major southeast cities such as Onitsha, Enugu, Aba and Owerri as well
as towns and villages across the region, MASSOB has been hoisting the
green, red and black Biafran flags with a rising sun in the middle.

"Whenever policemen go around the streets to take off the flags hanging
on electricity poles, the flags are replaced overnight," said Izzy Achor,
a resident of Onitsha.

In the city's Port Harcourt Street, a main thoroughfare, dozens of
Biafran flags now flutter in the breeze.

A rash of publications including newspapers, magazines and pamphlets, has
emerged in the region either published by MASSOB or its sympathizers,
advocating the Biafran cause.

The independence movement even operates its own clandestine radio
station, the Voice of Biafra International, which broadcasts on short
wave in the 41-metre band.

Uwazurike, the leader of MASSOB, declined to speak to IRIN. He pointed
out that he was currently subject to a court order banning him from
making public statements. This was imposed after the police filed treason
charges against him.

Soviet-style break-up
However, the secessionist leader has articulated his views clearly in a
series of interviews already published.

"What you should understand prima facie is that Nigeria is no good, how
Nigeria is being administered is not good," Uwazurike told reporters in
September last year.

"That is why some people are even calling for a sovereign national
conference, some people are calling for Biafra and others say
self-determination."

"What I am saying as a person is that I want the Soviet experience to
happen in Nigeria," he continued. "My idea is let Nigeria divide into as
many places as possible; let the people go."

According to Uwazurike, those who want to prevent Nigeria from
disintegrating are simply crooks on the make. He described them as those
"who are taking what belongs to Peter to give to Paul, who rob Niger
Delta people of their oil resources and send it to the north to establish
Abuja (the federal capital) and a refinery in Kaduna."

Human rights groups say that dozens of pro-Biafran activists have been
killed over the last six years for campaigning for such beliefs and more
than 300 are currently in detention after being arrested by the police at
marches and rallies organised by MASSOB.

One of the most dramatic confrontations occurred in March 2003, when
armed police opened fire on unarmed MASSOB members at a rally in
Uwazurike's hometown of Okwe in Imo State, killing seven people on the
spot.

Human rights groups have accused the security forces of using brutal and
excessive force to repress the non-violent activities of MASSOB.

The Civil Liberties Organisation, one of Nigeria's leading human rights
groups, said in a recent statement that policemen frequently raided the
homes of suspected MASSOB members, confiscated their property and used
"disproportionate and often lethal force against a group that bears no
arms".

Would violence be more effective?
MASSOB supporters say the movement is being unfairly punished by the
government for its commitment to non-violence.

They point out bitterly that ethnic Ijaw militants in the Niger Delta
appear to have gained more by taking up arms against the government.

The Niger Delta People's Volunteer Force, an Ijaw militia group led by
Moujahid Dokubo-Asari, was invited to peace talks with the government in
September last year after it threatened to attack oil platforms and shut
down Nigeria's oil exports. Its leaders have been allowed to go free.

"Those who took up arms against the country, Obasanjo dined with them,"
said Biafran activist Martins Ukanwa. "But even though we don't have arms
they are killing us because they see us as second-class citizens," he
added.

The defunct Biafra had included areas occupied by oil region minorities
such as Ijaws, Ogonis and Efiks. MASSOB activists said the new Biafra
they are campaigning for still covers these areas if the inhabitants
want.

"If they want to come with us they're welcome, otherwise we Igbos are
ready to go it alone," Ukanwa said.

Nigerian police officials declined to comment on record about MASSOB.
Several described the Biafran nationalist movement as a banned
organisation, but were unable to cite any law or decree banning it.

But the issue of Biafran independence remains touchy for the government,
not least because Obasanjo, a former army general, fought personally in
the civil war on the side of the federal government.

When in September last year Ojukwu, the former Biafran leader, told a
weekly magazine that he had sympathies for Uwazurike's campaign to revive
the independent state, he was immediately invited to an interview by the
secretive state security police.

They sent Ojukwu a one-way ticket to travel from his home in the
southeastern city of Enugu to appear for questioning at their Abuja
headquarters.

Ojukwu declined the invitation and dared the authorities to take the
politically risky step of arresting him.

Launching a stinging verbal attack on Obasanjo, he said: "Ralph Uwazurike
is purely and simply a young man disgusted and frustrated by General
Obasanjo's governance. It is significant as it appears that millions of
Nigerians are with him."
(Reuters AlertNet Apr 19, 2005 via N.Grace-USA)

............................................

Somalia
Somaliland's Radio Hargeysa Now on FM
April 20, 2005

Excerpt from report by Somaliland independent daily newspaper Haatuf on
20 April

Government-owned Radio Hargeysa can now be heard on FM. The manager of
the radio department, Muhammad Said Muhummad, last night brought us an
announcement that read that Radio Hargeysa could now be heard on 98.2
MHz, covering Hargeysa and its environs. The manager also said that they
would soon launch another 25 kW frequency and a television that will be
viewed throughout the country [Somaliland].

[Passage omitted]
Source: Haatuf, Hargeysa, in Somali 20 Apr 05 (via BBCM via DXLD 5-066)

............................................

Syria
US-Based Opposition Group Starts Web-Based "Radio Free Syria Magazine"
April 17, 2005

Text of press release by US-based opposition group Reform Party of Syria
(RPS) dated 17 April 2005

Washington DC, 17 April 2005: RPS [Reform Party of Syria] announced today
the inauguration of our newest internet asset, "Radio Free Syria
Magazine", to spread freedom and democracy in Syria. RFS Magazine's
mission is to allow all Syrian intellectuals, writers and democracy
advocates to express their opinion in a free environment dealing with a
democratic Syria based on Syrian culture and heritage. The
editor-in-chief of RFS Magazine is Mr Malek Assaf. The magazine will
publish in Arabic only and can be found at
http://www.radiofreesyria.net/news

RPS intends to "push" the magazine to its email-based subscribers after a
test period of about one month. If you wish to subscribe, please do so
using the yellow subscription window on our English-based web site at
http://www.reformsyria.org

RPS encourages all writers who wish to write for RFS Magazine to do so by
sending their articles to Mr Malek Assaf either via email at
assaf@radiofreesyria.net or by faxing your article directly to: +359 (2)
980-0829. Writers can also publish directly on the internet via the web
site. Reform Party of Syria, PO Box 59730, Potomac (Maryland), MD 20859
Source: RPS press release, Potomic (Maryland), in English 17 Apr 05 (via
BBCM via DXLD 5-066)

............................................

Zimbabwe
BBC Monitoring Notes Broadcasts of SW Radio Africa Still Disrupted
April 26, 2005

Further observations made by BBC Monitoring in the week commencing 18
April 2005, show continued but intermittent interference to the short
wave broadcasts of Short Wave Radio Africa.

SW Radio Africa describes itself as "the independent voice of Zimbabwe"
and began broadcasting via short wave and the internet on 19 December
2001. On 11 March 2005, the SW Radio Africa web site reported "jamming"
on the 4880 kHz frequency forcing the SW Radio Africa to use an
alternative frequency. BBC Monitoring confirmed the deliberate
interference of 16 March 2005 and periodic checks during March and April
have shown the continued use of rotary type jammers against
transmissions.

BBC Monitoring observed what appears to be interference specifically
targeted at both 15145 and 12145 kHz frequencies used by SW Radio Africa
on 18, 19 and 20 April, although no jamming was audible on either 21 or
22 April.

Typical of the results observed by BBCM were those of the 18 April, the
1630 gmt English transmission from SW Radio Africa was jammed from 1630
until 1644 gmt and then again from 1659 to 1714 gmt on 15145 kHz. On
12145 kHz jamming was observed from 1645 until 1659 gmt and also 1715
until 1729. The deliberate interference was again noted on 15145 kHz from
1729 until 1743 gmt and on 12145 kHz from 1744 to 1758 gmt. On the same
day, no jamming was noted on the 11770 kHz frequency used by SW Radio
Africa between 1830 and 1900 gmt. The 3230 kHz, 3300 kHz and 4880 kHz
frequencies used for the early morning 0300 gmt transmission were checked
daily 18 - 22 April, however they were noted as clear of jamming or
inaudible at the time of the observations.

In March 2005, Paris-based organization Reporters Sans Frontieres
reported, that the Media Monitoring Project Zimbabwe (MMPZ), a
Harare-based independent watchdog, said the jamming of SW Radio Africa's
broadcasts is being carried out from Thornhill airbase - located outside
the southwestern town of Gweru, between Harare and Bulawayo - where the
government has a transmission station. According to the International
Broadcasting Bureau (IBB), a US federal government entity, the equipment
being used for the jamming comes from China, which has close trade links
with Zimbabwe, especially in the telecommunications domain.

(BBC Monitoring research Apr 26 via Radio Netherlands Media Network Blog)

............................................

Zimbabwe
IPI Names SW Radio Africa "Free Media Pioneer 2005"
April 27, 2005

The International Press Institute (IPI) has announced its decision to
honour SW Radio Africa with its 2005 Free Media Pioneer Award. Gerry
Jackson, founder and station manager of SW Radio Africa, will receive the
prize at an award ceremony on 24 May, during the forthcoming IPI World
Congress in Nairobi, Kenya (21-24 May).

In Zimbabwe, where President Robert Mugabe's autocratic regime controls
both radio and television, and the only independent daily newspaper, the
Daily News, has been shut down, the shortwave radio station SW Radio
Africa remains a rare independent voice.

Launched in December 2001, SW Radio Africa broadcasts not from Zimbabwe,
but from a studio in northwest London and is run by a group of exiled
reporters and DJs. The station's founder, Gerry Jackson, a veteran of 25
years broadcasting experience in Africa, was fired from the Zimbabwe
Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC) music station, Radio 3, for
"insubordination" after airing live telephone calls from people on the
scene during food riots in Harare in 1997.

In 2000, Jackson fought and won a legal battle in the Zimbabwean Supreme
Court to set up the country's first independent radio station, Capital
FM. After only six days, it was raided by armed police officers, who
confiscated broadcasting equipment, and used a presidential decree to
shut down the station.

Jackson went into hiding and - with presidential elections set for March
2002 - decided to broadcast from outside Zimbabwe, setting up a new radio
station in London, where half a million Zimbabwean exiles live. Featuring
a successful mix of music, news and interviews, SW Radio Africa's main
aim is to give a "voice to the voiceless" by fostering a dialogue with
its Zimbabwean audience, who call in - often at great risk - to air their
opinions and give first-hand accounts of the deteriorating situation in
the country.

In the run-up to the March 2005 parliamentary elections, the government
of Zimbabwe mounted a concerted campaign to prevent SW Radio Africa from
being heard in the country, jamming their signals on several frequencies.
The government campaign against the station continued unabated after the
elections, which were widely condemned as fraudulent, with continued
deliberate jamming of its broadcasts and plans to launch a new 24-hour
shortwave radio station to counter SW Radio Africa's "negative
propaganda."

The annual Free Media Pioneer Award was established by IPI, the global
network of editors, media executives and leading journalists, in 1996 to
honour individuals or organisations that have fought against great odds
to ensure freer and more independent media in their country or region.
The Award is co-sponsored by the U.S.-based Freedom Forum, a
non-partisan, international foundation dedicated to free press and free
speech.

Previous winners of the Free Media Pioneer Award are CASCFEN - Central
Asia and Southern Caucasian Freedom of Expression Network (2004); the
Media Council of Tanzania (2003); the independent daily newspaper Danas,
Serbia (2002); the independent on-line newspaper Malaysiakini.com (2001);
IPYS - Press and Society Institute, Peru (2000); EFJA - Ethiopian Free
Press Journalists' Association (1999); Radio B-92, Yugoslavia (1998); AJI
- Alliance of Independent Journalists, Indonesia (1997); and NTV, Russia
(1996).
(IPI Apr 27, 2005 via A.Sennitt-Netherlands)

------------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

Contributors: Dietmar Birkhahn, Finn Krone, Hansjoerg Biener, Oliver
Benjamin Hemmerle, Peter Heß, Wolfgang Büschel

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