Indonesian radio station says China behind closure
February 23rd, 2010
Indonesia’s Communications and Information Technology Ministry has told a private radio station in the Riau Islands to halt its broadcasts because it is deemed to have no broadcasting licence and is interfering with other radio frequencies. However, the Legal Aid Foundation (LBH) suspect the action against Radio Era Baru was made after political pressure from the Chinese Embassy in Jakarta.
It is the latest in a string of warnings against the station, which promotes Falun Gong, a system of beliefs and practices that are banned in China. In 2007, the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPID) closely monitored the radio station after the embassy reported the station had allegedly aired political campaigns that might harm relations between the two countries. Early last year, the government rejected the extension of the station’s broadcasting licence, a move that was also suspected to have been linked with the embassy’s influence.
Station director Raymond Tan Raymond says he and some partners founded the radio station with an investment of Rp 1 billion. He denies that the station, which currently employs 12 staff, is funded by the Falun Gong organization.
P Perangin Angin, who heads the monitoring body, said the letter instructed Radio Era Baru to stop broadcasting on 106.5 MHz because it clashed with another local radio station, Sing FM. “Radio Era Baru must stop its broadcasting activities because it uses the unpermitted frequency. This is purely technical,†Perangin Angin said.
Parlindungan Sihombing, chairman of the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission in Riau Islands, supported the monitoring board’s decision, saying that the radio station had no valid broadcasting licence. “But they related this technical matter to a political issue. We ask the ministry to sue the radio operator,†he said. “Contentwise, there is nothing wrong with Radio Era Baru. This is purely technical and the station must obey [the rules],†he added.
With 30 percent of its broadcasts in Mandarin, Radio Era Baru holds Chinese-Indonesians as its target demographic. Soehendro Gautama, the chairman of Chinese-Indonesians Association of Riau Island said they applauded the Mandarin-language radio station, but broadcasting activities should follow correct procedures. “Broadcasting like this is positive because it develops culture. But the administrative management also has to be transparent,†he said.