Inside China Today

Inside China Today – Tuesday 22nd December

Special report: Politicians speak out against CCP attack on SOH

CADEN PEARSON: Hello and welcome to the program. I’m your host, Caden Pearson. A special report this episode, as we update our listeners on the situation in Indonesia and Taiwan, where the Chinese Communist regime has made strong efforts to shut down our broadcasts. Both via shortwave into China’s heartland, and terrestrially around parts of Indonesia and Singapore.

Here’s a recap of the situation for new listeners.

SOH Radio Network leases air time through government-owned Radio Taiwan International, to broadcast shortwave into China, it’s Chinese-language uncensored, independent news and cultural programs. Earlier this year, the Communist regime lobbied Radio Taiwan Internationals CEO to discontinue their contract with SOH. Despite several rounds of communications and negotiations, on December 9, 2009, Radio Taiwan International reduced SOH’s broadcasting hours, and increased its leasing fee.

Traveling south now, the Communist regime has also struck out at SOH in Indonesia. Radio EraBaru 106.5FM, is a local Indonesian station that has been broadcasting SOH’s Chinese-language programs for the last four years. The station broadcasts SOH content to Chinese-speaking communities in the area, providing the only alternative source of China-related news, outside of state-controlled propaganda.

In May 2007, Indonesia’s Broadcasting Committee, KPI, published news on their website stating the Chinese Embassy had requested KPI closely monitor Radio EraBaru 106.5FM. A letter from the Chinese Embassy was leaked, with no name signed. It included many groundless and false accusations against Falun Gong, NTDTV and SOH Radio. It requested Indonesian authorities stop the radio operation. The letter was addressed to four Ministries of Indonesia – KPI, the Ministry of Foreign Relationships, the Ministry of Intelligence, and the Ministry of Communication and Information.

And here’s the latest developments on this issue.

European Parliament Vice President, Edward McMillan-Scott, and Canadian MP, David Kilgour, as well as Human Rights Without Frontiers Director, Willy Fautre, have spoken out against the these actions of the Chinese Communist regime to suppress free and independent media and democracy in Taiwan and Indonesia.

The Hon. David Kilgour wrote to Indonesia President Yudhoyono, saying he found it “deeply troubling that a foreign government with a well-documented record for systematically violating its own citizens dignity and their basic human rights” could write to the Indonesian government to demand the closing down of a domestic station in Indonesia and seemingly be listened to.

VP McMillan-Scott said, “It is well-documented that Beijing maintains complete control over all media in China, and attempts to control media flow out of the country. However, it is still up to the free world in how they react to such an attempt.”

VP McMillan-Scott also wrote letters to Indonesia’s Supreme Court Judge, the Hon. Judge Tumpa, and Taiwan President, Ying-Jeou Ma. In their letters, both said the rejection of Radio EraBaru’s license is undeserved, and urged Indonesia President Yudhoyono to take action to rectify the situation. The case is now in the hands of the Indonesia Supreme Court.

SOH President, Allen Zeng, has spoken publicly on this issue. He said:

ALLEN ZENG: We are very concerned about the situation of Radio EraBaru station in Indonesia. We have contracts; we provide news and cultural programs through them. SOH works with many radio stations around the world in this way. We believe this is an extremely urgent issue. The Chinese regime is directly pressuring an independent country to close down is own independent media. We will call upon our friends, other news media, and governments around the world to urge them to help in this issue and work together to save this radio station.

CADEN PEARSON: Joining these voices are three European politicians who have voiced their support of SOH and free media and democracy, condemning the actions of the Communist regime.

ASTRID LULLING: They should resist the pressure from Beijing! I know this is not very easy, but you must have the courage to do so! And if you have, then they will understand that they don’t come through with their dictatorship against free press!

CADEN PEARSON: Astrid Lulling there, sharing her impassioned thoughts on how the Taiwanese government should respond to the Communist regime’s pressure. Lulling is a politician in Luxembourg, and a Member of the European Parliament for the Christian Social People’s Party, part of the European People’s Party. She told SOH, the situation is “unacceptable!”

ASTRID LULLING: I’m very much attached to free media, because it’s basic of democracy. And I think it’s very important that people are well, and objectively informed, and I regret very much that the People’s Republic of China, once again, to go against free media, and against objective information of the population. I think the population… You should take much more seriously. The population does want to be well informed. And then also, if they are well informed, they react well, and they judge well. And even politicians who are not well informed cannot judge well, and decide well. So it’s very important to have free press, free media. And it’s very regrettable that they think they should close this down.

CADEN PEARSON: In his letter addressed to Taiwan President, Ying-Jeou Ma, Vice President McMillan-Scott said he had faith in the democracy and freedom of press in Taiwan. He remarked that almost at the same time that government-funded Radio Taiwan International reduced SOH’s broadcast hours, their government gave a Taiwan Foundation for Democracy award to a North Korean who broadcasts into his country, commending his “courage to pursue freedom” and his “having no fear of a totalitarian regime”.

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CSABA SOGOR: … In history there were different powers and different empires, but our duty is to support China to behave as a leading power. And we know exactly from the recent history, of the European Union, or Europe, but from the old history too, that to behave as a leading power, that means not to count the money and to invest in economy, but human rights issues, minority rights, protection of languages are also very important.

CADEN PEARSON: Csaba Sogor is a pastor of the Reformed Church, and a politician in Romania. That was his voice you heard just now, saying other world powers have a duty to keep the Chinese regime in line, behaving as a leading power of the world should; respecting human rights and freedom of speech.

CSABA SOGOR: … And I hope that not just the Uighur, or Tibet problem will be solved, in a, let’s not say democratical [sic] way, but in a human way. Not as the leaders, or the majority things, or the Falun Gong issue, but also we think that to be a leader of the world, or being a leading power, you will be not afraid from the freedom of speech. You will be not afraid of different cultures, different religions, different traditions, and also you will not be afraid of free radios, Internet, televisions, news… Because a power; an empire, we know the European history was always signing his death when he tries to cut information, when he tries to control infrastructure, when he tries to control freedom of speech, the free thinking.

CADEN PEARSON: Sogor expressed his hope the Communist regime would learn from the mistakes made during Europe’s long history.

CSABA SOGOR: Of course, Europe had opportunity, the possibility in the last 3,000 years to learn a lot from his history, from his mistakes. Why should other empires, or other leading powers follow this long story to learn or not learn from this history. So I hope that we can help China to behave as a leading power.

Who will be the leading power of the world in the next 50 years. But until then, we have one thing to do… Not to decide who will be the leading power, but to support all countries and all regions to develop a free, democratic society where not just the money has to say something, but also the human rights and the freedom of speech.”

CADEN PEARSON: Romanian politician Csaba Sogor there, saying it is the duty of all leading world nations to support freedom and democracy in China.

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CADEN PEARSON: Wolf Klinz is a German politician and member of the European Parliament with the Free Democratic Party of Germany, part of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe and sits on the European Parliament’s Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs. In a recent interview with SOH, Klinz said the Communist regime should run the country in such a manner that provides no reason to fear domestic or international reports that may be critical of the authorities.

WOLF KLINZ: Well, we should not give in easily on these things. I think, also China, in this particular case, the government of mainland China in Beijing should not feel that, or see the need to interfere. That proves only that they are afraid of the free media. Why should they be afraid? They should organise their country, their society in such a manner that there’s no reason to be afraid of anybody reporting from outside or inside for that matter.

CADEN PEARSON: Klinz said it is the European Union’s desire to see freedom of press valued in all world nations.

WOLF KLINZ: Well, you know the European Union considers itself to be a union of values. And one of the values is freedom of press. And we do not want anybody, whether its politics, business or whatever, to interfere with the freedom of press. And therefore we have a very strong interest in seeing in other areas of the world, the freedom of press is being protected, and accepted as a value. Almost as a human right, so to speak, of society.

CADEN PEARSON: Klinz said he is willing to contact the heads of state of Taiwan and Indonesia to encourage them to respect freedom of press.

WOLF KLINZ: I think this is something that’s in everybody’s interest. Very much like the personal freedom. And we hope eventually they do realise this is something worth defending. This is what we try to do.

CADEN PEARSON: Klinz said he has faced critical reports on several occasions. When he feels a report is wrong, he will enter into a dialogue with the reporter to correct it. When there is nothing to hide, there is no reason to do so.

WOLF KLINZ: But we should not take one or two incidents of a similar nature to ban completely.

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CADEN PEARSON: For all intents and purposes, the relationship between SOH and Radio Taiwan International seemed to be going strong, SOH’s Taiwan representative Ms Ko said last week. Since 2004, SOH has increased its airtime every year. However, Ko said that during discussions this year on continuing their partnership, she feels that Radio Taiwan International has had pressure coming from the Communist regime.

MS KO: On the 3^rd of November of this year, the president of Radio Taiwan International, Mr Wang, said not only that the new contract cannot be processed due to pressure coming from the Chinese Communist Party, but that he is considering re-adjusting the original contract which ends in January of 2010.

CADEN PEARSON: Former Chinese diplomatic official, and defector, Chen Yong Lin, said the broadcasts by SOH are the biggest thorn in the side of the Communist regime, who seek to control the Chinese people, right down to their very thoughts.

CHEN YONG LIN: The core method that the Chinese Communist Party uses to control people is mind control. It wants to control every single Chinese person’s mind in order to maintain its political power. Therefore, the CCP is trying its best to control any types of information (broadcast). SOH Radio Network is always the most problematic issue for the Chinese Communist Party; because SOH is broadcasting justice (truth) into China through many channels, including the Internet, telephone and shortwave radio.

CADEN PEARSON: And that’s it for this special report episode of ICT. Check back with us for more updates as events unfold in the coming weeks. If you have any comments or feedback, drop us a line at our website, www.insidechinatoday.net, or send us an email at insidechinatoday@sohnetwork.com. Until next time, I’m your host, Caden Pearson.