AP: Taiwan says China's accusation that Falun Gong TV hackers used a pirate broadcast from Taiwan is 'farfetched'

Tue Sep 24,11:03 AM ET

Falun Gong followers protest in Hong Kong against Beijing's suppression of the group in this photo from last month. China accused Taiwanese Falun Gong on September 24 of hijacking mainland satellite signals twice this month. REUTERS/Kin Cheung

TAIPEI, Taiwan - China's accusations that a Taiwanese broadcast operation was used by Falun Gong to hack into China's top TV satellite systems seemed "farfetched," a Taiwanese official said Wednesday.

But Taiwan said that it is investigating China's allegations, made Tuesday, that Falun Gong used the pirate broadcast operation in northern Taiwan to replace regular TV programing with the group's images earlier this month.

After an emergency meeting Wednesday morning, Taiwanese telecom official Lin Ching-chich told reporters, "This type of accusation is a bit farfetched."

Lin said that China has argued that the source of the hacking was on Yangming Mountain, outside the capital of Taipei. Several TV and telecommunications companies have installed satellite dishes and other equipment on the mountain.

But Lin was skeptical that China would be able to accurately pinpoint the source of the hacking. He said that the area from which the attack could have originated includes all of Taiwan and neighboring islands in the Pacific Ocean.

"This happened several days ago, and it's difficult to locate the source," said Lin, director of the radio spectrum management department at the Directorate General of Telecommunications.

Lin said that Taiwan has stepped up searches on Yangming Mountain and other areas in Taipei, but officials needed more information from China. He added that the hacking could have been done from a vehicle with mobile broadcasting equipment.

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Chang Ching-hsi, a Falun Gong member and economics professor at the elite National Taiwan University, said [...]

Pirate broadcasting on radio and television was common in Taiwan until the mid-90s when the government relaxed regulations, opened new frequencies and handed out more broadcasting licenses. Dissidents, independence activists and other groups would interrupt broadcasts and disrupt signals.

But Taiwan traditionally hasn't been a base for religious, political and rights groups pushing for change in China. Most have operated out of Hong Kong on mainland China's southeastern border.

China's state-run Xinhua News Agency said the commandeering of a signal from Sino Satellite, or Sinosat, began Sept. 9 and had affected signals of a service designed to enable remote villages across the country to see broadcasts from China Central Television, or CCTV, the leading government-run network.

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