Media reported on the dismantling of shortwave relays bi-Bi-si in Thailand
BANGKOK, Mar 9 — RIA Novosti. The British broadcasting Corporation (bi-Bi-si) takes its shortwave relay station in Thailand and closes the office because of the inability to negotiate with the government about the continuation of the contract for their use, said on Thursday online version of the Bangkok Post.
Repeaters shortwave radio, moved to Thailand in 1997 from Hong Kong after the transfer of the former British colony to China, worked in East and South-East Asia.
Transmitters are silent from 1 January, as the contract for their usage in Thailand ended with the end of 2016, according to the newspaper
“Despite lengthy negotiations, we were not able to agree on the resumption of broadcasting. In this regard, and in connection with existing financial constraints, we regretfully took the decision to close this program”, — reads the statement of the Bangkok representative office of Bi-bi-si, which is quoted by the newspaper.
The closing of relay stations in the province of Nakhon Sawan in Central Thailand would mean loss of employment for 45 people, serving the relay stations themselves, and in Bangkok, the report said.
In November last year, bi-Bi-si has announced plans for its Korean service to start broadcasting to North Korea in the Korean language. How these plans will be broken by termination of the program relay from Thailand, is still unknown, reports the Bangkok Post.
Thiscasino Internet broadcasting bi-Bi-si closed since December last year after the publication of the biographical information on the new king of Thailand, Rama the Tenth, the contents of which the authorities had deemed insulting to the monarchy. One of the student anti-government activists were arrested during the census of this biographical information in social networks.
Head of the representative bi-Bi-si in Thailand journalist Jonathan head is currently on trial for libel in connection with the television coverage of a corruption scandal around the embezzlement of public land officials in southern Thailand.
The radio and television in a special press release stated, “make every effort” to preserve the freedom of its leading correspondent.