"The attack constitutes a serious violation of international telecommunications regulations, world order and public morality," said Chen Ruming, a researcher with the China Institute of Telecommunications.

"If such behavior is not checked, it could cause a catastrophe to global telecommunications satellites, and civilization," he added.

Between June 23 and 30, the cult illegally launched radio signals to jam the transmission of China's Sinosat satellite. As a result, nine channels of China's Central Television Station and 10 provincial television stations were seriously affected.

Yang Guiming, senior engineer with the Chinese Central Meteorological Station, said that jamming the satellite transmission posed a threat to the gathering of weather data.

"This is very dangerous in the current flood season", he said.

"While we were going all out to fight floods, the Falun Gong cult attacked our satellite. They are very mean," said Liang Fei, who lives in the recently flooded Yudu County of Jiangxi.

Television viewers were angry over the interruption to TV programs. "Look how many lives they've destroyed. And they are still so unscrupulous. We must deal them a heavy blow," said a television viewer in Baotou, the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region.

"Modern communications must not stop for a minute because they are as important to society as vital nerves are to a person's life. By interfering with communications facilities, the Falun Gong cult is committing crimes," said Zhang Chu, a professor at the Beijing Post and Telecommunications University.

"Such acts cannot be tolerated in a modern law-abiding society, " he said.

(Xinhua News Agency July 10, 2002)