NTD to Eutelsat: Re-Open Window of Truth to China

CHAN: NTD has been broadcasting to mainland China via satellite since 2004. We provide the only uncensored Chinese TV news and programs available there, given the communist regime's tight media censorship. Our broadcasts have been made possible thanks to a contract with French satellite provider Eutelsat Communications. But since June 16th this year, our broadcasts to the mainland have stopped. Eutelsat claims there's a technical problem with its satellite transponders. But it may be not be that simple. Back in 2005, Eutelsat tried to cancel our satellite contract because of pressure from the Chinese regime. However, thanks to widespread support from our viewers and the U.S. government, Eutelsat eventually agreed to renew our contract. So our broadcasts to China continued. Just before Eutelsat allegedly signed a lucrative agreement with Chinese authorities last month, NTD's satellite broadcast mysteriously went black. And it comes at the worst possible time. Since the beginning of this year, numerous disasters have struck China. And the incompetence and corruption of the communist regime has been making these natural disasters worse. For example, large numbers of school children died needlessly in the May 12 earthquake because of shoddy school construction. Without NTD's watchdog broadcasts, these kinds of man-made disasters will be allowed to continue unchecked. And they will continue to cost countless lives. Out of a spirit of partnership, NTD has given Eutelsat ample time to resolve its so-called technical problems. But Eutelsat still refuses to answer our specific technical questions or restore our service. We are asking Eutelsat to follow international and European regulations, as well as its own charter, and immediately resume NTD's broadcast to China. We hope Eutelsat can see the long-term value of serving the true interests of 1.3 billion Chinese people. To learn more or to voice your support, you can visit NTDTV.com.

Channel: Nonprofits & Activism
Uploaded: November 30, 1999 at 12:00 am
Author: NTDTV

Length: 02:05
Rating: 4.00
Views: 3610

Tags: broadcast  china  chinese  eutelsat  free  news  ntd  ntdtv  pressure  sattelite  technical  truth  

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