China pressures Indonesia to shut down Chinese language based Radio Erabaru 106.5 FM
Since November 14th, 2009 Indonesia’s Radio Erabaru, a media partner of the Sound of Hope Radio Network, is under threat of being closed down following pressure from the Chinese authorities on the Indonesian government.
Indonesia’s large Chinese community has suffered during Indonesian political turmoil. Radio Erabaru with Sound of Hope targets this community and offers the first and sole alternative to state-run Chinese media. Radio Erabaru started broadcasting in March 2005 under the authorisation of the Indonesian broadcast Committee in the Riau Island province.
Besides its musical, cultural, local and China news programmes, Radio Erabaru considers it has the mission to also objectively cover sensitive topics such as the repression in Tibet, of Uighurs, Christians and Falun Gong, as well as the epidemics and public health and ecological scandals that plague China. Its sole objective: to inform the public.
On October 21st, 2008, the Minister of Communication sent to Radio Erabaru an injunction to stop broadcasting. Despite repeated requests from Radio Erabaru the Minister never gave any reason for denying a licence to the radio station, in spite of it meeting all the criteria. However, the station was able to obtain a copy of a letter from the Chinese Embassy in Indonesia to the Indonesian Foreign Department, the Department of Internal Affairs, the national Intelligence Agency, and the Indonesian broadcast Committee. In the letter the Chinese authorities used defamation against Falun Gong, among other things, to ask the Indonesian government to close Radio Erabaru, arguing that the station damages the image of China. On October 23rd, 2008, Radio Erabaru brought the case to the Indonesian courts, but failed to overturn the injunction. Several appeals have been lodged. The last was on November 14th, 2009. The court has not yet returned its decision.
In Indonesia, the Centre of Legal Aid for the Press, the Press Council and the Independent Journalists Alliance are very worried about this threat to media independence in Indonesia and are working to help save the station. But in a country that has yielded to Chinese pressure, this support might not be sufficient. What we need now is to put international pressure on the Indonesian government to grant Radio Erabaru its broadcast licence. Sound of Hope and Radio Erabaru are appealing for help from the international community and international organisations who protect the freedom of the press. If Radio Erabaru is silenced, a voice of freedom will disappear. Can we afford to remain silent?
Radio Era Baru 106.5 FM
Contact: Raymond Tan, phone: 62-811774938, email: raymaster@fastmail.fm
