Broadcom calls on broadcasters to help Raajje TV to resume broadcast

Maldives Broadcasting Commission (Broadcom) has called on all broadcasters to help Raajje TV resume their on air broadcasting, following an arson attack on Monday morning that crippled the local TV station.

Raajje TV was set on fire around dawn on Monday morning by arsonists who assaulted the building’s security guard and broke a window to break into the station.

Cameras and equipment used to relay live signals, including other broadcasting equipment were been rendered useless in the fire. Chairman of Raajje TV Akram Kamaaluddeen said that the damage is estimated to cost $1 million.

President of the Maldives Broadcasting Commission (Broadcom) Mohamed Shaheeb has expressed concern over the disruption to the channel’s broadcast. He called on all broadcasters to make a joint effort to help the station resume their on-air programs.

“I advice all broadcasters in the Maldives to jointly provide whatever help they can to Raajje TV, to provide whatever support they can to help them begin on-air programs. Especially the public broadcaster [Maldives Broadcasting Corporation],” said Shaheeb, the chief of the broadcast media regulation body. “I don’t believe that such arson attacks can stifle the freedom of expression. We have set the example of working together in incidents faced by the media, in times of troubles to the media.”

Shaheeb called on all parties to refrain from attacking broadcasting stations, their equipment, employees or journalists, especially in a spirit of vengeance, with regard to the current politically charged atmosphere.

He assured that commission will deal with the issues surrounding the content of the shows broadcast by different media sources and that the commission will take the steps when necessary. Be patient of the broadcasts, he told all parties, and maintain their activities within the boundaries of the law.

Shaheeb said that Raajje TV wrote to the commission in July regarding reports of an attack the station. The commission had in turn shared with the police, Shaheeb said.

He said that a more recent document on the attack on Monday had also been shared with the police, along with information provided by a private individual, with the commission.

“The commission is taking all necessary action as required in a situation like this. We also received a call last week, a local person calls us and said that there was going to be an attack on Raajje TV, that it will be stopped. We shared the number and name from which the call came from with the police,” Shaheeb said.