ASEAN countries plan to produce own TV programs<\/p>\n
BATAM, Riau (JP): Members of the Association of Southeast
\nAsian Nations (ASEAN) plan to produce their own television
\nprograms as a way of countering the cultural intrusion through TV
\nprograms supplied from the West, Minister of Information Harmoko
\ndisclosed yesterday.<\/p>\n
\"We reached the informal agreement last year,\" Harmoko said
\nreferring to the meeting of ASEAN's information ministers in
\nManila.<\/p>\n
Harmoko was speaking at the inauguration of the new relay
\nstation jointly owned by Indonesia's private RCTI and SCTV
\nnetworks in Batam. With the new station, the two networks can now
\nbe received not only in Batam, but also in Singapore and parts of
\nMalaysia's southern peninsula.<\/p>\n
Also present at the ceremony held at the office of the Batam
\nIndustrial Development Authority were Malaysian Information
\nMinister Dato H. Moch. Rachmat, Singapore's ambassador to
\nIndonesia Edward Lee and Riau Governor Suripto.<\/p>\n
Rachmat referred to the threat of cultural contamination as
\nthe main reason why ASEAN needs to produce its own television
\nprograms.<\/p>\n
Harmoko said that if ASEAN governments can formally agree to
\nthe idea by next year, ASEAN members will not have any problem
\nwith infrastructure because they could use Indonesia's Palapa
\ncommunications satellite to beam the programs region-wide.<\/p>\n
ASEAN norms<\/p>\n
He noted that Malaysia is expected to allow its citizens to
\nown satellite dishes by 1996 that will pick up programs from
\nIndonesia.<\/p>\n
Harmoko said ASEAN countries have agreed to formulate a set of
\n\"norms\" and codes of ethics on information that are deemed
\nappropriate for dissemination.<\/p>\n
Rachmat said that Malaysia's decision to cut a BBC television
\nprogram on the workers' riots in Medan, North Sumatra, last April
\nwas made as a gesture of ASEAN solidarity.<\/p>\n
\"The BBC was angry and the contract was cut,\" Rachmat said.
\n\"But never mind,\" he added.<\/p>\n
\"We will have a controlled open sky policy,\" Harmoko added.<\/p>\n
The two ministers agreed that the private sector should manage
\nand operate the \"ASEAN television\" while the governments would
\nprovide the guidelines.<\/p>\n
Both ministers anticipated language problems in running an
\nASEAN television station and suggested using a variety of
\nlanguages in the same way that Malaysian and Singaporean networks
\nare doing now as a way out.<\/p>\n
SCTV vice commissioner Sudwikatmono, who was present at the
\nceremony, said, however, that he is not interested yet in joining
\nsuch a venture.<\/p>\n
\"We've just reached our break-even point,\" he said, adding
\nthat television is a high risk industry. (anr)<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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