TAIPEI/BEIJING (Reuters) - A Taiwan official dismissed Wednesday as "far-fetched" China's accusation that followers of the Falun Gong spiritual group had hacked into state satellite television signals from the island.
Beijing said bilateral ties would suffer if Taipei did not take effective measures to stop transmissions by the group, banned in China as an "evil cult," which it said had disrupted television signals repeatedly since June.
The head of Falun Gong's branch in Taiwan, where the group is legal, said he applauded the satellite hijackings, but did not know who was responsible.
China said Tuesday that Falun Gong members in Taiwan hijacked mainland television broadcasts via the state-run SINOSAT satellite twice this month.
If confirmed, they would be the latest of a string of forays by the group to show pro-Falun Gong videos on Chinese cable and satellite television channels which has prompted sharply tighter media controls.
Lin Ching-chih, an official at Taiwan's Directorate General of Telecommunications, said his office had investigated a mountain in Taipei -- from where Beijing said the signals came -- but found nothing.
"This kind of saying is too far-fetched," said Lin, adding that China had not provided adequate information.
But Zhang Mingqing, spokesman for the Chinese cabinet's Taiwan Affairs Office, said Beijing had offered ample evidence and informed Taiwan about the transmissions three months ago.
"They have known about it since the end of June, but until now they have not taken effective measures so these satellite attacks are still happening continually," Zhang told a news conference.
"If they do not take steps, this will of course hurt the feelings of compatriots on both sides and further damage already difficult relations between the two sides," he said.
DETECTION PROBLEMS
Zhang and other Chinese officials declined to say where exactly the transmissions came from, what measures they wanted Taipei to take, or which international agreement had been broken.
Taiwan, blocked by Beijing from the United Nations and other international bodies, is not a member the International Telecommunication Union, but agrees to abide by its rules.
"Dealing a blow to the illegal use of radio waves is the unanimous stand of the two sides and will not affect cross-Strait relations," Lin said.
But it was difficult to detect where satellite signals were beamed from and technically the directorate can only analyze downlink signals to determine if there was any interference, he said.
It was impossible to detect the exact source of transmissions, especially if they were beamed from a mobile station, he said.
Personnel and surveillance trucks had been sent to Yangming Mountain in Taipei but had not yet found any suspicious transmission source, he said.
Surveillance would continue round the clock, he added.
Chang Ching-hsi, an economics professor at National Taiwan University and head of Falun Gong's Taiwan branch, denied knowledge of the satellite hijacking.
"I don't know if Taiwan Falun Gong adherents did it, but I cannot prove they did not do it," he said. "There are too many Falun Gong members in Taiwan. More than 100,000."
"But this is a good thing. China has blocked news about Falun Gong for three years and made false accusations and tarnished the image of Falun Gong."
"Television is the most effective way of letting people know the truth. If Falun gong members or others did this, I am very thankful to them," Chang said. Taiwan investigators had not questioned him about the hijackings, he added.
Taiwan's Bureau of Investigation, responsible for counter-intelligence, sacked one of its agents this month for sending bureau reports on Falun Gong to China via the Internet. The agent also faces charges of leaking state secrets.
Taipei and Beijing have been spying on each other since they split at the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949. Despite political and military rivalry, their economies have become increasingly intertwined and civilian exchanges have boomed.
Beijing considers the democratic island of 23 million a breakaway province that must be returned to the fold, by force if necessary.