Southeast Asian television stations unite to counter Western media
Southeast Asian television stations unite to counter Western media
Agence France-Presse
Kuala Lumpur
Several Southeast Asian television stations have united to
provide a unique platform for regional leaders to air their
opinions to 300 million viewers in a move to counter alleged
Western bias.
Networks from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines and
Thailand on Tuesday night launched a program called In
Conversation, which officials describe as a first in the region's
broadcast history.
The opening program in a 13-part monthly series featured
Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, 75, who has been in
power for 20 years and is considered the elder statesman of the
Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Malaysia's TV3 said in a statement on Wednesday the objective
of the program was to provide an outlet for leaders to share
their thoughts with the region's people.
"It is also aimed to break free from Western media domination
which has a tendency to air interviews with regional leaders on a
selective basis to meet the demands of their station or their own
agenda," the statement said.
Privately-owned TV3 said some 300 million people in the 10-
member ASEAN would be able to tune in to the programs broadcast
by iTV Thailand, RCTI Indonesia and ABS-CBN Philippines.
A TV3 executive told AFP the program planned to present all
ASEAN leaders as well as some feature items on the region.
He said the next guest would be Thai Prime Minister Thaksin
Shinawatra, while Singapore Premier Goh Chok Tong had also agreed
to come on air.
Efforts are also underway to get Philippine President Glorio
Macapagal Arroyo and Indonesian President Megawati Soekarnoputri
to participate.
In the first hour-long pre-recorded interview, Mahathir was
questioned by four journalists -- one from each participating
station -- and dealt with subjects ranging from terrorism and
Islam to regional economies.
He said regional leaders would discuss the economic fallout
from the Sept. 11 terror attacks on the United States during the
ASEAN summit in Brunei next month.
"I think whether we like it or not, we will have to discuss
what happened in the U.S. simply because ASEAN is actually a
trade bloc and our prosperity depends on trade.
"When a market is hurt, we will suffer. So we will need to
find ways to overcome that and put in place new plans that will
help the economy to recover," the premier said.
Mahathir has condemned the attacks on New York and Washington
but urged ASEAN not to join the United States if it launched a
military strike against Afghanistan.
He said the regional body should instead play the role of a
peacemaker.