[HCDX]: CLANDESTINE: New Bulletin: CRW

["Martin Schoech" <schoech@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Dear audience from HCDX mailing list !

First we want to apologize for this (perhaps unwanted) mail to you.
It's aim is to show you an example of a new Clandestine Radio News-
letter we proudly present today :

CLANDESTINE RADIO WATCH

If you are interested in this field of radio activity, please feel
free to write to one of us. Your contributions are highly welcome
since we won't go on repeating what other mags already printed. For
this first edition we did so, sometimes. Regular contributors to CRW
will receive it direct via E-mail, all others can read it for free via
the internet. 

If you don't mail us anything you won't hear from us again. But of
course, we hope to hear from you !

Nick from Washington and Martin from Merseburg

--------------xxxxxxxxxx  CRW 001  xxxxxxxxxx--------------

CLANDESTINE RADIO WATCH
April 2, 1998

Clandestine Radio Watch (CRW) is a biweekly report which centralizes
the latest news and developments affecting the study of clandestine
radio in an easy-to-read format. Editions are published around 2000
UTC Thursdays through e-mail and are posted on the two web pages given
below within 24 hours.

We welcome your contributions, input and support. Logs, QSL
verification info, as well as background material can be sent to
either of CRW's editors:

Nick Grace C.	: yb0rmi@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Martin Schoech	: schoech@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

CRW can also be accessed on-line at:
http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/2594/geo-cla.htm
and soon to be mirrored on the Clandestine Radio Intel web:
http://www.qsl.net/yb0rmi/cland.htm

------------xxxxxxxxxx  Breaking News  xxxxxxxxxx-------------

Radio Democracy for Africa

Angola's VORGAN may leave the air in April 1998.

Address discovered for Ethiopia's Rainbow Radio

Iranian and Tibetan Clandestine May be Related

..............................................................

RADIO DEMOCRACY FOR AFRICA
U.S. President Bill Clinton unveiled a new public diplomacy effort
using a white clandestine dubbed Radio Democracy for Africa.  Speaking
to a crowd in Botswana on March 28, he noted that Africa needs an
independent radio service.  "State-run media are the norm in much of
Africa; accompanying such media are often biases and positions of the
prevailing political party or in some cases, repressive regimes."
Radio Democracy for Africa is "aimed directly at encouraging progress
toward freedom and democracy, respect for human rights, and an
independent and objective media."

Funding for the service will come directly from the Voice of America
(VOA), and in fact, Clinton pledged US$4.8 million over the next two
years.  Rather than be a separate entity, as Radio Marti and Radio
Free Asia are, Radio Democracy for Africa will be inserted into VOA
programming.  After it begins in May 1998, the station will be
broadcast 22.5 hours a week.  Programming will be in nine different
European and African languages directed at 19 African states.

Radio Democracy for Africa coincides with plans for Radio Free Iraq
and Radio Free Iran, and will join Radio Marti, Radio Free Europe /
Radio Libery, and Radio Free Asia as a tool to spread democratic
principles around the world.

More information on this station can be found at CRI:
http://www.qsl.net/yb0rmi/usia_africa.htm

(Information adapted from Reuters and the Wasington Post.)

..............................................................

VORGAN AGAIN SCHEDULED TO SIGN OFF
April may mark the end of UNITA's clandestine station, Voice of the
Resistance of the Black Cockerel (VORGAN).  According to the BBCM,
"handed over its formal  declaration of military demobilization to the
Angolan govt and said it would  implement outstanding clauses of the
peace agreement" on March 7.  The UN-brokered Lusaka Peace Accord
between UNITA and the MPLA government in Luanda depends on the
following: 1)complete demobilization of UNITA's military forces,
2)establishment of UNITA in Luanda to participate in a joint
government, and 3)closure of VORGAN, which the UN has condemned.

The Lusaka Peace Accord, negotiated in 1992, has been broken many
times and is still in jeapordy.  Jonas Savimbi, the head of UNITA, and
other officials are afraid to return to the capitol after
assassination threats.  Policymakers in Luanda have also promised an
escalation of fighting should UNITA not follow through with compliance
of the pace agreement.

UNITA is already isloted by its former allies, USA, UK, and the UN,
and its overseas lobbying offices have been ordered closed.

VORGAN is to become a non-partisan FM station called Radio Despartar,
and international efforts have already been underway to ensure a
smooth transition of VORGAN staff.  However, communiques issued by
UNITA and comments made by Angolan officials put the closure of the
clandestine station in doubt.

.....................................................

RAINBOW RADIO ADDRESS
Rainbow Radio announces the following address during its closing
announcement: P.O.Box 140104, 53056 Bonn, Germany.

According to Martin Schoech, an Ethiopian friend "translated parts of
the last transmission of Rainbow Radio for me. The language is of
course Amharic, but the whole transmission is 'propaganda' (as he
said) from the people of Oromo against the Ethiopian goverment.
Nothing was said (about) which particular organization stands behind"
the group, however.

.....................................................

IRANIAN AND TIBETAN CLANDESTINE MAY BE RELATED
CRW was contacted by the project leader of the Democratic Voice of
Iran (DIVA) about the station's new webpage.  "The site is...
experimental but is working regularly," the source reports.  "Within
few days we shall advertise its inception in local papers as well as
in the links of others."

Ludo Maes also reported in BCDX 357 that the Voice of Tibet is also
now on-line along with DIVA.  What is not mentioned in the report,
however, is that a comparison of these websites show striking
similarities.  These similarities either mean that these clandestine
programs are funded from the same source or share information between
each other.

Both sites appeared around suddenly within the past two weeks.  As of
press time, DIVA (www.dvi.org) has a little over 100 hits, and the
Voice of Tibet site (www.vot.org) has almost 100.  Take a close look
at the counter, too.  Both use the same counter within a red border. 
Another similarity is the format of the e-mail address.  Both use the
name "mail."  Iran's is "mail@xxxxxxx" and Tibet's is "vot.org."  It's
obvious that the groups hired the same design company to build the
webpages.

Both websites are devoted only to the groups' radio activities.  In
fact, the only comments made about each group is a general sentence
stating that each is "independent."  No personnel or staff is listed,
nor are any non-radio campaigns mentioned.  In fact, the registration
records are empty for both sites.

Interestingly, the Iranian website links to two groups that have
received funding from the CIA in the past: the Flag of Freedom
Movement and the Constitutionalist Movement of Iran.  Whether or not
the CIA may be behind this and the Tibetan clandestine's sites is
unknown, nevertheless, the small set of links is interesting.

Not much has been known about the Democratic Voice of Iran, which hit
the air nearly a year ago from hired transmitters in Central Asia, and
CRW sources could not be reached in time for publishing.  The Voice of
Tibet, on the other hand, was built by students in Norway and it seems
that the station took on a life of its own.

------------xxxxxxxxxx  Schedules  xxxxxxxxxx-------------

ANGOLA

A Voz Resistencia de Galo Negro (VORGAN)
Organization: UNITA
Address: Rue Montoyer n_6 , bte 6, Bruxelles 1000, Belgium
Languages: Portuguese
Identification:
0500-0900  9770 kHz
1100-1430  11880 kHz
1700-2100  6225 kHz  (BBCM via AGDX, Mar 7/13 via BCDX 355)

ASIA (REGION)

Radio Free Asia
Organization: USIA
Address: 330 Independence Ave, SW, Washington, DC 20547, USA
Languages: Mandarin, Tibetan, English, Viet, Burmese, Cambodian
1800-2000  7530. 9355, 9650, 9885, 9905 kHz (Dan Ferguson-USA via CDX)
Additional broadcasts in Mandarin that started on Mar 1, 1998.

ETHIOPIA

Rainbow Radio
Organization: Unknown Oromo group
Address: P.O.Box 140104, 53056 Bonn, Germany
Language: Amharic
Identification: Keste Damena Radio
0100-0200  Sat  9855 kHz  (JTK via BCDX 355)
1000-1100  5910 kHz Sundays via Germany  (Martin Schoech-Germany CRW)
1600-1700  Thur  15105 kHz  (JTK via BCDX 355) Summer schedule
effective April 1.

Voice of United and Free Ethiopia
Organization: United Front of Ethiopians
Address: P.O.Box 5801, Washington, DC 20016, USA
Language: Amharic
Identification: Andit Netsa Ethiopia Dimts Radio Agelgilot
*1615-1715*  7570 kHz  Sun  (Martin Schoech-Germany)

KASHMIR

Voice of Independent Kashmir
Organization: Kashmiri Mojahedin
Address: P.O.Box 102, Muzaffarabad, Azad Kashmir, Pakistan
Language: Urdu
Identification: Ni sera-i hurriyat-i Kashmir hai
1705-1729*  6300 kHz USB  (Mahendra Vaghjee-Mauritius via NU 1469)

MYANMAR

Democratic Voice of Burma
Organization: Broad coalition of independent groups
Address: P.O.Box 6720, Skt. Olavs Plass, N-0130 Oslo, Norway
Language: Maymo
Identification: Democratic Myanmar a-Than
1245-1345  9425, 15330 kHz  (PanIview-Bulgaria via BCDX 357)

NIGERIA

Radio Kudirat
Organization: UDFN
Address: PO Box 9663, London SE1 3LZ, UK
Language: English
1900-2300  6205, 11540 kHz  (PanIview-Bulgaria via BCDX 357)
Summer schedule. Now jammed by Nigeria.

Voice of Free Nigeria
Organization: Free Nigeria Movement
Address: P.O.Box 441395, Indianapolis, IN 46244, USA
Language: English
1900-2100  11645 kHz  Saturdays via Germany  
(Dave Kenny-BBCM via WOR 932)

WESTERN SAHARA
Voice of Free Sahara
Organization: Frente Polisario
Address: POLISARIO, 1 rue Franklin Roosevelt, 1600 Algiers, Algeria
Languages: Spanish, Arabic Identification: La Voz de Sahara Libre
2200-2300  9640, 11610 kHz  (Joerg Klingenfuss-Spain via BCDX 357)
Reactivated

------------xxxxxxxxxx  QSL Verifications  xxxxxxxxxx-------------

ERITREA

Voice of Democratic Eritrea
P.O. Box 200343, 53134 Bonn, Germany
Fax: +49 0 228356 181
webpage: http://www.erols.com/meskerem
Signed by Seyoum O Michael, Member of Executive Committee
e-mail: Mghebresel@xxxxxxx
Partial data letter received in 20 days. 
(Zacharias Liangas-Greece via TFW 55)

ETHIOPIA

Voice of Oromo Liberation
Prinzenallee 81, 13357 Berlin, Germany
Signed by Taye Teferra
No data letter for taped report and 2,20 DM (mint stamps) in 25 days
(Martin Schoech-Germany CRW)

Voice of Tigray Revolution
P.O. Box 450, Mekelle, Tigray, Ethiopia
Signed by Fre Tesfamichael
Full data postcard via registered mail received in 59 days. 
(T.H. Ekblom-Denmark via DSWCI via TFW 55)

------------xxxxxxxxxx  Miscellaneous  xxxxxxxxxx-------------

IRAQ

US plan to set up "Radio Free Iraq" criticized.
The political editor of the Rep of Iraq Radio has commented on a
'Washington Post' report of 2nd Mar, which said that the United States
supports the idea of setting up a Radio Free Iraq as part of its
efforts to confront President Saddam Hussein and that US officials are
considering plans to use a tx in Kuwait, which was used against Iraq
in the past by secret opposition groups financed by the Central
Intelligence Agency. (BBCM via AGDX via BCDX 354)

RADIO FREE ASIA

Statement on foreign broadcasting plans. Expanding VOA and Radio Free
Asia bcs to China. Developing a Persian-language surrogate bcing sce
to Iran. ... Since passage of the International Broadcasting Act in
1994, the IBB has carefully analyzed txion assets in order to create a
reliable, flexible and efficient network responsive to the technical
requirements of all US internat broadcasters. In FY 1997, under a
single, smaller engineering organization, the consolidation of the
network continued, including the shifting of resources to reflect a
change from Cold War era priorities to new ones in East Asia, Africa
and the Middle East.

... Actions are presently under way to ship txs and other equipment
from downsized or closed stns to those closer to priority audiences in
Africa and Asia; to construct new antennas designed to meet the
growing demand for combined bc requirements; to add satellite ground
stns; and to install energy-saving solid state modulators at various
sites. This effort will continue throughout FY 1998 and into FY 1999,
as will the conversion of major segments of the IBB satellite txion
network from analogue to digital format, which directly increases both
the capacity and quality of global network coverage. The request
includes 12m dollars to continue the replacement of obsolete analogue
production equipment at Washington headquarters with modern digital
technology.

... In August, International Broadcasting Bureau [IBB] monitoring stns
in various locations confirmed significant interference with RFA
Mandarin language bcs to China, using the traditional jamming
technique known as "co-channelling" during RFA txions. While IBB
monitoring and listener responses via mail and faxes indicate that the
RFA signal, transmitted on multiple freqs, continues to get through,
the jamming emphasizes the importance of enhancing the present IBB
txion network with facilities such as the new Tinian (Pacific island)
relay station.

... Cost of upgrading global txion network. A total of 25,308,000
dollars is requested in Fiscal Year [FY] 1999 to continue the
technical upgrade and consolidation of the IBB's global txion network.
This network, representing a national resource valued at over one
billion dollars, includes three domestic (incl Tinian island) and 11
overseas relay stns containing some 130 txs, and a network of leased
international satellite circuits which serves more than 1,000
satellite earth stns worldwide.

Mindful of the International Broadcasting Act's mandate to consolidate
wherever possible, we are proposing a reduction in positions for FY
1999. This budget proposes 4,329,000 dollars in FY 1999 programme
decreases, including eliminating the shortwave site in Rhodes, Greece
(1,200,000 dollars and 27 positions), further reducing Office of
Engineering headquarters staff (1,600,000 dollars and 20 positions).
(BBCM via AGDX via BCDX 354)

SOUTH KOREA

National Salvation bites R Free Asia. The homepage of the
South Korean "National Salvation Front" ran an article entitled "Stop
Radio Free Asia" on Mar 15. To read the article go to:

http://www.alles.or.jp/~kuguk/091503.htm

National Salvation Front is an imaginary product of North Korean
propaganda that claims to exist in Seoul and operate the clandestine
"Voice of National Salvation" broadcasts from there.  (Sonny
Ashimori-Japan via BCDX 356)

------------xxxxxxxxxx  Sources  xxxxxxxxxx-------------

Source Abbreviations:

AGDX: Arbeitsgemeinschaft DX e.V.
BBCM: British Broadcasting Corporation Monitoring
BCDX: Bueschel Calling DX
CDX:  Cumbre DX
CRW:  Clandestine Radio Watch
DXW:  DX Window
NU:   Numero Uno
TFW:  The Four Winds Online
WOR:  World of Radio
______________________________________________________

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