Indonesia has closed Radio Erabaru which has ties with the spiritual movement Falun Gong. The government in Jakarta has refused to renew the station’s broadcasting licence since 2007 and today seized its equipment.
Radio Erabaru had been broadcasting in Bahasa Indonesia and in Chinese from the island of Batam since 2005. The radio station says the government took action against it because Falun Gong has been banned in China.
Jakarta admits that China had lodged a complaint about Radio Erabaru, but denies this is the reason the radio station was closed. The Indonesian government says the closure is the result of a shortage of radio frequencies.
(Source: RNW News/R Netherlands mdia Network Weblog)