APT Satellite Holdings Limited strongly condemned the acts of interference with its satellite operations yesterday.

The company said part of the transponders of APSTAR VI were jammed maliciously by Falun Gong signals on Sunday night, resulting in the interruption of state television and some provincial satellite TV channels from broadcasting normally.

Chen Zhaobin, executive director and president of APT Satellite Group, said at a press conference in Hong Kong yesterday afternoon that the APT Group is a company listed on stock markets both in Hong Kong and New York. All its satellites are used in civil and commercial telecommunications purposes.

He said, We have been providing telecommunications and broadcasting services under commercial contracts to our customers in the Asia-Pacific region. The illegal jamming of APSTAR VI by Falun Gong, which has publicly stomped on the international telecommunications conventions and internationally accepted practices, is a challenge to the international community.

Chen said it had also seriously upset the normal telecommunications procedures and damaged the reputation of the APT Group.

In response to such malicious acts by Falun Gong, we have reported the case to the police and the authorities in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. We have requested the authorities to seriously punish the criminals, Chen said.

The company said 13 China Central Television channels and 12 provincial TV channels from nine provinces had broadcasts interrupted.

(Xinhua, July 5, 2005)