Television experts and scholars in leading Chinese cities Wednesday denounced TV hijacking by Falun Gong cult activists.

Television signals illegally broadcast by Falun Gong cult devotees since Sept. 8 have cut into transmissions using the Sino Satellite (SINOSAT) system that covers the whole of Chinese territories.

The TV hijacking has severely affected CCTV's "TV signals to every village" program, the leading national television station in China, the transmission of signals from China Education TV Station(CETV) and of some provincial-level TV stations. People in some outlying rural and mountainous areas were unable to watch TV programs as usual.

As a matter of fact, watching TV is becoming an indispensable part of people's life and so it is quite evil to interrupt transmission of TV programs, said Deng Hui, an official with the Bureau of Radio, TV and Movie in Tianjin municipality.

Cao Zhigang, a noted professor of electronic engineering at prestigious Qinghua (Tsinghua) University, said that Falun Gong cult's action is a flagrant challenge to civil order and has to be stopped.

Among those affected are a large number of students who rely on distance learning programs to resume their study and Falun Gong's action negatively affected their right to education, said the professor.

Liu Xingyao, chief engineer of the Bureau of Radio, TV and Movie in Chongqing metropolis, southwest China, also said that the Falun Gong cult members have repeatedly breached the civil satellite, which fully exposed the evil nature of the cult.

Ni Chenming, deputy chief engineer of the Shanghai Municipal Cable Network Company, said that Falun Gong's action has violated China's laws as well as international rules for the protection of the normal operation of civil satellites.

"I've never heard of such a vicious thing before and every effort should be made to stamp it out," Ni said.

(Xinhua News Agency September 25, 2002)