Satellite receivers pulled down to block overseas Tibetan services

(TibetanReview.net, Jun24, 2009) In further tightening of censorship over radio and television broadcasts, authorities in the Tibetan populated region of Kanlho (Chinese: Gannan) Prefecture in Gansu Province had been pulling down satellite dishes since Apr 2009 and had been installing cable lines, reported Radio Free Asia (RFA, Washington) Jun 21. The purpose of the pull down was stated to be to prevent the Tibetans from accessing overseas Tibetan broadcast services such as Radio Free Asia and Voice of America.

Cable lines were reportedly being laid to enable the people to access only Chinese government approved programmes.

“Local Tibetans were told by officials that they were carrying out the directives of central and provincial level authorities,” a Tibetan woman in the Labrang area was quoted as saying.

RFA said a prefectural document cites State Council document #129 in calling for an “unprecedented efforts to collect satellite dishes” to restrict access to long-distance broadcasts in Gansu province.

Earlier, prominent Beijing-exiled Tibetan writer and blogger Woeser wrote in a Jun 15 entry that hundreds of jamming towers had been built in Tibetan regions to block overseas Tibetan broadcast services. She said the airwave censorship was carried out vigorously in Kanlho in May’09.

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Last updated on Jun 24, 2009 10:28:38