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MUMBAI:
BBC World Service has suspended its FM programming to the
Sri Lankan national broadcaster SLBC due to what it says are
deliberate interference of its broadcasts by the Sri Lankan
network.
BBC
programmes and individual news reports in the English, Sinhala
and Tamil languages have been blocked by SLBC and have not
been broadcast to listeners in Sri Lanka.
The
BBC adds that it noted 17 instances of interference to BBC
Tamil and eight similar instances to BBC Sinhala broadcasts
between 27 November 2008 and early January 2009. Sometimes
whole current affairs segments of BBC programming were not
broadcast on SLBC.
The
BBC says that it expressed its concern directly to SLBC chairman
Hudson Samarasinghe in a series of letters and meetings throughout
December and early last month.
The
BBC made it clear to SLBC that such interference and blocking
meant that BBC programming was being editorially compromised
by SLBC's actions and this was contrary to the BBC's contractual
agreement with SLBC.
Despite
the warnings, last week there were several further instances
of interference to BBC programming in all three languages
being broadcast on SLBC. There have been three instances of
interference on BBC Tamil output, one on BBC Sinhala and two
instances on the English language programming in the past
10 days.
BBC
World Service director Nigel Chapman says, "We are dismayed
that the BBC's programmes in the English, Sinhala and Tamil
languages have been interrupted on the SLBC network. We are
equally disappointed to see that our programmes continue to
be interfered with even after our representations.
"We
have no choice but to suspend broadcasts until such time as
SLBC can guarantee our programming is transmitted without
interference.
"In
order to cover news events in the most comprehensive and balanced
way for our audiences, the BBC adheres to specific editorial
values that include impartiality, editorial independence and
seeking a relevant range of views on any topic. In this way
we can meet our audiences' high expectations and maintain
our reputation as the world's most trusted international broadcaster.
"The
BBC has had a very cordial and effective partnership with
the SLBC since 1998 – part of a strong relationship with
listeners in that country that goes back to the 1940s. We
are keen to keep this relationship going provided that SLBC
adheres to the agreements we have with it. But at the heart
of these agreements is the guarantee that our programmes in
English, Sinhala, and Tamil are broadcast uninterrupted. If
this can not be guaranteed we can not continue our relationship.
"We
are prepared to have further discussions to resolve this issue
and will investigate any specific detailed complaint SLBC
may have about BBC output. So far, no specific complaint has
been raised."
The
BBC's services in all three languages remain in Sri Lanka
via short wave; on bbc.com/news, bbcsinhala.com and bbctamil.com
via the internet; and news bulletins in English are available
via the Sri Lankan commercial broadcaster MBC.
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