SATELLITE HACKING: The council says China did not inform Taiwan through official channels about
concerns that Falun Gong was using Taiwan as a base to hijack signals
By Lin Miao-Jung
STAFF REPORTER
Taiwan yesterday denied an assertion by Chinese authorities that Beijing had informed Taipei of its
suspicion that Taiwan-based followers of the Falun Gong movement were interfering with Chinese
satellite television signals.
'We never received any message from Beijing informing us about the matter,' said Chen Ming-tong, the
vice chairman of the Mainland Affairs Council, at a routine weekly news conference yesterday.
The council also called on China to provide accurate information in a responsible manner -- via
'already-established channels' -- to avoid misunderstandings and miscalculations between the two
sides.
'If the Chinese authorities attach importance to this issue, they should seek assistance from Taiwan
via the channel between the Straits Exchanges Foundation [SEF] and the Association of Relations
Across the Taiwan Strait [ARATS],' Chen said.
He added that it was not a wise move for Beijing to bypass this shortcut.
[...]
Falun Gong base
Chen's comments came in response to China's Taiwan Affairs Office's accusation earlier this week
that Falun Gong followers had used Taiwan as a base to hack into the state-run SINOSAT satellite's
signals twice this month. Chinese officials said the source of the interference had been traced to
Yangmingshan.
[...]
Chen said that the government has found no evidence that the alleged interference came from
Taiwan.
He also accused China of hacking into the signals of Taiwan's seven commercial broadcasting
stations.
'Since last July, China's official radio stations have overridden seven Taiwan commercial radio
stations, including Taiwan's largest radio station, the Broadcasting Corporation of China,' Chen
said.
[...]
International rules
The statement also urged China to abide by International Tele-communication Union rules and regulate
its radio broadcast transmissions to ensure the rights of listeners in Taiwan.
Chang Ching-his, the Falun Gong's [spokesman] in Taiwan and a professor of economics at National
Taiwan University, has denied Beijing's accusations that Taiwan-based members of the movement were
responsible for interfering with the satellite signals.
He also said China should not attack the group by any means.
http://www.taipeitimes.com/news/2002/09/28/story/0000169882