Asia Satellite Telecommunications (AsiaSat) announced in Hong Kong Tuesday that the transmissions of its satellite were deliberately interrupted by illegal signals, reportedly carrying content related to Falungong.
The company expressed its strong condemnation of the incident at a press conference here. Falungong, viewed as an evil cult by the Chinese government, is banned in China.
Six C-band transponders on an AsiaSat 3S satellite were interrupted by illegal transmissions carrying Falungong-related content at 9:34 p.m. Monday, causing a TV programming break in service on several provincial TV channels in the Chinese mainland, the company said in a statement.
This was the second incident for the company after a similar one on November 20, last year, the statement said; the attacks constituted a violation of international telecommunications treaties, contravened international regulations, and were a breach of the normal conduct of satellite operations.
The company said it strongly condemned such behavior and reserved the right to take the appropriate action under the law, adding that AsiaSat has initiated an inquiry, with the findings to be released in due course.
AsiaSat is a wholly owned subsidiary of Asia Satellite Telecommunications Holdings, whose major shareholders include China's state-owned conglomerate CITIC Group
