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China pressures Eutelsat to suppress TV station
19/5/05: We have received the following communication from New Tang Dynasty Television, a not-for-profit Chinese language news service operating out of New York with links to the Falun Gong movement. It concerns the suppression of its service to the Chinese mainland from the Eutelsat satellite.
19 May 2005
Dear Sir/Madam,
I would like to bring to your attention an urgent matter concerning freedom of the media. New Tang Dynasty Television (NTDTV; www.ntdtv.com ) is an independent non-profit-making Chinese Television Network based in Manhattan New York, covering Europe, Asia, Australia and North America 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and viewing is completely free. New Tang Dynasty Television aims to provide Chinese-speaking people all over the world with objective and accurate news and information, along with entertainment and educational programmes, free from political censorship.
NTDTV is the only uncensored Chinese-language TV that freely reaches the tens of millions of private satellite dishes in China. The response to NTDTV's broadcasting into China has been overwhelming -- just as the political, economic, and extra-legal pressure from Beijing has been unrelenting since this historic "Open Satellite Window" was launched last year.NTDTV has been highly praised by international media and human rights groups for its crucial role in carrying independent voices directly to Chinese viewers, and especially for its professional coverage of human rights, pro-democracy and religious groups in China.
NTDTV covers stories that Beijing tries to keep from the Chinese people; NTDTV broke the story of the SARS virus three weeks before the Chinese state media. xxxEutelsat, the Paris based satellite company welcomed the launch of NTDTV in March 2004 on its W5 satellite covering China and East Asia region. The Chinese Communist Government (also at crucial points the French Government) has applied intense pressure on Eutelsat. This pressure includes major contracts and Eutelsat's recent "historic partnership agreement" with the Chinese regime -- on condition that Eutelsat stop broadcasting NTDTV. In the past year, Eutelsat attempted to terminate NTDTV's transmission twice but failed due to the strong public pressure and the pressure from America.
In March 2005, Eutelsat notified NTDTV that on April 15th, it would no longer carry NTDTV's channel in Asia. Before that time, NTDTV launched a public campaign to save its satellite broadcast to China. Thanks to our worldwide supporters and viewers, widespread condemnation by politicians in Europe and North America and media watch-dog organisations, Eutelsat was obliged to temporarily extend its W5 satellite broadcast in Asia until 22 May while both parties negotiate for a long term solutions.
Eutelsat has submitted a draft contract to NTDTV a week ago. However, this draft contract simply cannot guarantee the legal rights of NTDTV to broadcast to Asia for a long-term without being subject to the CCP interference. NTDTV and its lawyer has replied on this draft contract and submitted our revised contract to Eutelsat.
However, just during the few days when we revised the draft contract, Eutelsat spread rumors in the U.S. government that NTDTV had agreed on the terms in the draft contract. They also claimed that they would stop NTDTV's Asia signal if NTDTV would not sign on this draft contract on May 21.
As a result, Eutelsat is once again violating European and International conventions failing to meet the obligations of its legal charter regarding non-discrimination, equal access and fair competition. Eutelsat is also violating the company’s obligations under the European Convention on Transfrontier Television, as well as under the Convention for Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, regarding “free expression and universal information access” “the right, regardless of frontiers, to express, to seek, to receive and impart information and ideas whatever their source”, as guaranteed under European and International Conventions.
The Vice President of the European Parliament, Mr. Edward McMillan-Scott of United Kingdom mentioned in a recent interview: "…I do hope that Eutelsat recognizes that it has a wider responsibility than the purely commercial one in this particular case. NTDTV performs an extremely important function in a country where there is no free media and where millions of people are repressed, where hundreds of thousands of people are imprisoned for political reasons and which is kept under control by a rather brutal dictatorship unelected by anybody and unrepresentative and which knows that it's time now is running out and will use any measure to try to prevent the people of China from the freedom and democracy it deserves. "
I therefore encourage you to support us within your means to ensure that Eutelsat immediately signs a direct, long-term, unconditional contract agreed by NTDTV and to ensure that the only "open window" of free information is not shut down to millions of viewers in China. I am looking forward to your reply.
Meanwhile, please fine some background information on this issue as well as some press information including the Press Release from IFJ.
Wall Street Journal European Edition: http://fofg.org/news/news_story.php?doc_id=970
Press Release - Reporters Without Borders: http://www.ntdtv.com/xtr/eng/press/ReportersWithoutBorders.htm
Press Release-International Federation of Journalists: http://www.ntdtv.com/xtr/eng/press/IFJRapsStatement.htm
Support from MEPs/MPs : http://www.ntdtv.com/xtr/eng/eutelsat/worldwideSupport/Europe/letter2.htm xxSincerely,
Mr. Lingsoong WongNTDTV UK Coordinator
Tel/Fax: 0845 644 3608; Mobile: 07764 421 456
Email: lingsoong.wong@ntdtv.com
Website: www.ntdtv.comLINKSFriends of Falun Gong web site
Reporters Without Borders press release
IFJ press release
Support from MPs and MEPs
NTDTV web site
Last modified: Thursday, May 19, 2005
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