Jakarta – Communications and information minister Syamsul Muarif said here Monday that the government and the House of Representatives (DPR) had agreed to ban by law local broadcasting companies from relaying the programs of foreign stations.

Syamsul, as quoted by Antara, said the agreement was reached during the final deliberations in the House on the draft law on broadcasting. The ban was to prevent foreign parties from manipulating the local media into airing programs serving the former's interest, he said.

Syamsul said local television and radio stations would still be permitted, however, to relay certain foreign programs.

"Occasional programs such as sports and other international events can be relayed. The restriction applies to regularly broadcast programs," he said, adding that routine programs, including news, would not be allowed to be broadcast on local television and radio stations.

A number of local television and radio stations in Indonesia currently regularly rebroadcast programs from foreign stations.

Indosiar television station once a week rebroadcasts news from the US-based Voice of America, Jakarta radio station Elshinta that of the London-based BBC, while Radio 68H collaborates with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).