By Brian Carnell

Thursday, July 13, 2000

Falun Gong, the banned Chinese religious sect, has begun a daily hour-long radio broadcast aimed at northern and central China. The Falun Gong movement was banned by the Chinese government last year, apparently out of fear that the rapidly growing religious group might weaken the Communist Party's grip on Chinese citizens.

The radio show broadcasts from 1400-1500 GMT on 9915 kilohertz, and aims to set the record straight about the anti-Falun Gong claims made by the Chinese government.

A BBC story on the radio broadcasts provided a fascinating look at the degree of state control over media in China and how some Chinese citizens get around it. The Hong Kong-based Information Centre for Human Rights and Democracy claims that documents leaked from the Communist Party suggest that more than 50 million Chinese tune in to foreign radio stations to get news and information that is unavailable on state-approved media. Not a large percentage out of 1 billion people, to be sure, but an extremely large absolute number nonetheless.

And China is as intent as ever on controlling the flow of information. A web site that gave information about the Falun Gong controversy as well as reports about the 1989 Tianamen Square massacre was recently shut down by state authorities. The man responsible for the site faces trial for "subverting state power," which carries a maximum 10 year sentences if he is convicted.

Source:

Banned sect broadcasts to China. The BBC, July 1, 2000.

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