Manipulated and directed by Li Hongzhi, the Falun Gong cult illegally launched radio signals to jam transmission of China's Sinosat satellite between June 23 and 30, the statement said.

As a result, program transmissions of China Central Television's 9 channels and 10 provincial television stations were seriously affected. In certain areas in the countryside and outlying mountainous areas, people could not normally view news, weather and flooding forecasts, the final games of the World Cup and other programs, it said.

This was a serious criminal act by the Falun Gong cult stationed abroad, manipulated and directed by Li Hongzhi, to disrupt normal broadcasting and reception of the country's radio and television programs. It violated the basic principles of relevant international pacts and civilian communications, endangered China's national security and infringed upon the rights and interests of the public. It disrupted the normal order of radio airwaves and posed a serious threat to the safety of radio messages.

"We strongly condemn such mean acts by the Falun Gong cult stationed abroad which trample on international laws and public morality," the statement said.

Radio services were widely used in telecommunications, radio broadcasts, television, navigation, positioning, weather forecasting and many other areas of daily life. The beaming of radio waves must proceed in an orderly way, so that these waves would not interfere with each other, disrupting normal wireless message services and even such important services as aviation and maritime communications and navigation and emergency rescue operations that had great bearing on public safety and people's lives. The consequences would be dreadful to contemplate. Therefore, all countries and international organizations stipulated strict and explicit regulations on the beaming of radio signals, it said.

By openly and deliberately attacking Sinosat in contempt of international laws and regulations, the Falun Gong cult was unscrupulously breaking the order of wireless communications and launching a challenge against civilization.

"We solemnly warn the Falun Gong cult to immediately stop its lawless disruption of normal communications. We appeal to the international community to condemn such base acts and jointly take measures to crack down on such evil behavior," the statement said.

(China Daily July 9, 2002)