Erwida Maulia, Jakarta – The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) will seek an explanation from the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI) for its refusal to approve a broadcasting license to a radio station in Batam, Riau, and from the Communications and Information Technology Ministry for ordering the radio to stop operating.
Commissioner Johny Nelson Simanjuntak told a press conference here Wednesday that both the KPI and the ministry had failed to explain to Radio Erabaru their reasons despite the radio station, in terms of technical operation and substances, following all existing regulations.
However, the largely Mandarin-language station suspects the government is closing them down on behalf of Beijing because of its vocal criticism of the Chinese government.
According to Radio Erabaru director Raymond Tan, the orders from the two institutions came after the Chinese Embassy met with the KPI in 2007 and sent letters to Indonesia's Foreign Ministry, requesting an order for the radio station to stop airing.
"(Komnas HAM) will also ask (Indonesia's) Foreign Ministry to facilitate a meeting with the Chinese ambassador for an explanation of their intentions," he said.
"(If this is true) it is an intervention of press freedoms in Indonesia by the Chinese government, which could set a bad precedent for the country in the future," he added.
Raymond – a follower of the Falun Gong movement, which is banned in China – said his station often reported alleged rights abuses in China, including those endured by Falun Gong followers and Uighur Muslims, and conflicts in Tibet.
He said the same letters were also sent to Indonesia's Home Affairs Ministry and even the State Intelligence Agency.
Radio Erabaru has been operating since 2005 after obtaining a permit from Riau provincial administration. It requested a broadcast license from the KPI, which was rejected in late 2007 without explanation, according to Raymond.
Raymond said he was appealing to the Supreme Court to challenge the KPI's decision, but had received four letters from the Batam chapter of the Agency for the Monitoring of Radio Frequency Spectrum, a body under the Communications and Information Technology Ministry, which ordered Radio Erabaru to stop airing.
Johny said the monitoring agency's act was "outrageous" and unethical, considering the case was ongoing.
The Chinese Embassy, meanwhile, has not responded to The Jakarta Post's inquiry on the issue.