S
Sun Wukong
Guest
Asia
Mar 5, 2010
Illegal HK radio station raided
<!-- by line --> <!-- end by line --> HONG KONG - HONG Kong authorities raided an underground radio station founded by pro-democracy activists - the latest in a series of police actions over the past two months critics call a concerted effort to muzzle dissent in this Chinese-ruled former British colony. Officers raided the makeshift studios of FM101 in an industrial building in suburban Hong Kong late on Thursday and seized HK$20,000 (S$3,644) worth of radio transmission equipment, Hong Kong's Office of the Telecommunications Authority said in a statement. No one was arrested.
The station airs talk shows and other programs on current affairs, movies and the arts. The regulator said it acted because underground radio stations are 'liable to cause harmful interference to other legitimate service providers and users.' The raid marks the third time that Hong Kong police have moved on young pro-democracy activists this year. Earlier, they arrested two activists who took part in a New Year's Day protest demanding democratic reform that ended with demonstrators trying to break through a police cordon guarding the central Chinese government's local liaison offices.
One of the arrested activists, Leung Wing-lai, also hosts a show on FM101. 'I am not intimidated or threatened by the police, but I am angered. They are suppressing our right to voice our opinions. My fellow activists and I will continue with our pro-democracy efforts,' Mr Leung said. A human rights activist accused the Hong Kong government of systematically clamping down on dissent. 'I have questions about the government's commitment to fostering an open society for free discussion in Hong Kong,' Hong Kong Human Rights Monitor director Law Yuk-kai said. Police spokesman Lawrence Lee said the department was simply enforcing the law. -- AP <!-- by line --> <!-- end by line -->
<!-- end left side bar --> <!-- story content : start -->
Mar 5, 2010
Illegal HK radio station raided
<!-- by line --> <!-- end by line --> HONG KONG - HONG Kong authorities raided an underground radio station founded by pro-democracy activists - the latest in a series of police actions over the past two months critics call a concerted effort to muzzle dissent in this Chinese-ruled former British colony. Officers raided the makeshift studios of FM101 in an industrial building in suburban Hong Kong late on Thursday and seized HK$20,000 (S$3,644) worth of radio transmission equipment, Hong Kong's Office of the Telecommunications Authority said in a statement. No one was arrested.
The station airs talk shows and other programs on current affairs, movies and the arts. The regulator said it acted because underground radio stations are 'liable to cause harmful interference to other legitimate service providers and users.' The raid marks the third time that Hong Kong police have moved on young pro-democracy activists this year. Earlier, they arrested two activists who took part in a New Year's Day protest demanding democratic reform that ended with demonstrators trying to break through a police cordon guarding the central Chinese government's local liaison offices.
One of the arrested activists, Leung Wing-lai, also hosts a show on FM101. 'I am not intimidated or threatened by the police, but I am angered. They are suppressing our right to voice our opinions. My fellow activists and I will continue with our pro-democracy efforts,' Mr Leung said. A human rights activist accused the Hong Kong government of systematically clamping down on dissent. 'I have questions about the government's commitment to fostering an open society for free discussion in Hong Kong,' Hong Kong Human Rights Monitor director Law Yuk-kai said. Police spokesman Lawrence Lee said the department was simply enforcing the law. -- AP <!-- by line --> <!-- end by line -->
<!-- end left side bar --> <!-- story content : start -->
