AUSTRALIAN REGULATOR INVESTIGATING AL MANAR

C O N F I D E N T I A L JAKARTA 001839 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR EAP, EAP/MTS, EEB/CIP/TS, EEB/ESC/TFS, EAP/RPS, S/CT, EB/CIP/BA TREASURY FOR TFS E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/29/2018 TAGS: PTER PREL KPAO ECIP KTFN LE XC ID SUBJECT: AUSTRALIAN REGULATOR INVESTIGATING AL MANAR BROADCASTS FROM INDONESIA REF: JAKARTA 1114 AND PREVIOUS Classified By: Economic Counselor Peter Haas for reasons 1.4 (b) and (d ) ¶1. (C) The Australian Embassy has requested assistance from the Indonesian Broadcast Commission for an ongoing investigation into the broadcast of Al-Manar to Australia by the Indonesian telecommunications company Indosat. According to contacts at the Australian Embassy, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) is investigating whether the Al-Manar transmissions violate Australian broadcast laws. As part of the investigation, ACMA has asked its Indonesian counterpart for information regarding Indonesian regulations governing broadcasts to other countries, including whether transmissions to other countries can be blocked. ¶2. (C) The Indonesian Broadcast Commission indicated to the Australian Embassy that it would coordinate a response with the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology. ACMA's investigation will likely take several more months. HUME