THAICOM Ends Transmission of Hezbollah's Al-Manar Channel (updated January 15)

By Andrew Cochran

UPDATE, January 15: ITIC reports that THAICOM terminated al-Manar TV's broadcasts due to the disclosures of its initial transmission decision. The following is my original post on January 14 on that decision.
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The Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center (ITIC) reported last week that THAICOM, a Thai communications satellite, is now transmitting al-Manar, Hezbollah's TV channel, to a vast audience. THAICOM broadcasts to most Asian countries, Australia, Africa, and Central Europe. Al-Manar was named a Specially Designated Global Terrorist Entity by the U.S. Treasury Department on March 23, 2006, along with its parent company the Lebanese Media Group. In announcing the designation, Treasury Under Secretary Levey stated, "One al Manar employee engaged in pre-operational surveillance for Hizballah operations under cover of employment by al Manar... Al Manar raised funds for Hizballah through advertisements broadcast on the network and an accompanying website that requested donations for the terrorist organization... In addition to supporting Hizballah, al Manar has also provided support to other designated Palestinian terrorist organizations, including the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) and al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, notably transferring tens of thousands of dollars for a PIJ-controlled charity."

The U.S. government and other countries have taken other action, even prior to the SDGT designation, to impede al-Manar's operations. The ITIC notes that in 2005, AsiaSat ceased broadcasting al-Manar in 2005, and the Spanish government ordered the banning of Hezbollah TV broadcasts to Latin America via Hispasat. In August 2006, the U.S. Treasury also designated the Islamic Resistance Support Organization, a key Hizballah fundraising organization, announcing "Specifically, IRSO solicits funds for Hizballah through advertisements broadcast on Hizballah's al-Manar television station." In late 2006, two men were charged in the U.S. with conspiring to support terrorists by enabling customers to obtain satellite broadcasts of al-Manar.

The U.S. State Department should make the removal of al-Manar from THAICOM a priority. ITIC reports that the owner of the THAICOM satellite is Shinawatra Computer and Communications Co. Ltd., a private Thai communications company licensed by the Thai government. ITIC quotes another website as reporting that "company sources" claim that “THAICOM considers Al-Manar programming as ‘news and entertainment.'” For the company and the Thai government to allow Hezbollah terrorists to use their satellite to spread propaganda which could result in the deaths of innocent civilians is unacceptable.

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