Tag Archives: Radio Free Sarawak

Radio Free Sarawak is back on the air!

1 Reply

RadioFreeSarawakThanks to Rob Wagner’s blog, The Mount Evelyn DX Report, I just learned that the clandestine station, Radio Free Sarawak, is back on the air after declaring a break on May 8, 2013 (see our previous post).

Radio Free Sarawak will broadcast daily from 11:00-12:30 UTC on 15,420 kHz.

The following is the press release from Radio Free Sarawak‘s website (via their Facebook page):

AUGUST 11, 2013: Press release, Radio Free Sarawak back on air from Monday

Sarawak’s independent radio station Radio Free Sarawak is back on air Monday 12th August following its holiday recess.

The rural radio station, which broadcasts mainly in Iban, but also in Malay has received numerous enquiries from listeners eager for information about pressing issues in the state, including the on-going plans to dam key rivers and evict thousands of native people from their lands.

“The state government has moved swiftly to try and take advantage of its dubious election wins by tripling Ministers’ own salaries (back-dating the increase by a whole year and a half) and pushing through further land grabs in native territories, including the proposed Baram Dam region” points out the UK based station head, Clare Rewcastle Brown. “Ordinary folk want to be heard on these issues and it seems their opinions may often be different from the propaganda put out on the state controlled licensed media, which only promotes the narrow interests of the super-wealthy and politically powerful”.

Radio Free Sarawak is the 2013 winner of the prestigious Pioneer of Free Media Award by the International Press Institute, which applauded the station’s efforts to bring freedom of information and freedom of speech to the isolated communities in Malaysia’s Borneo rainforest state.

The station’s call-in facility also provides an opportunity for longhouse dwellers to express their own views and concerns about the effects of deforestation, oil palm plantation, rural poverty and endemic political corruption. The radio station is linked to the online portal, Sarawak Report, which shares the same agenda to shine light on these and related issues.

Radio Free Sarawak is transmitted from London and its familiar team of DJs will be broadcasting from Monday on Short Wave 15420kHz from 7pm-8.30pm local time Monday-Saturday.

It is also available via podcast online www.radiofreesarawak.org , from where it can be downloaded via smart phone for mobile listeners or onto UBS sticks for car radio.

The local call-in line is 082-237191 and listeners are invited to get in touch with their comments and issues.

Spread the radio love

Radio Free Sarawak takes a break

1 Reply

RadioFreeSarawakThe clandestine station Radio Free Sarawak—who we most recently mentioned in connection with the Malaysian elections–has announced that they are going off the air.  There is a note of finality in their announcement (below), yet they do leave some ambiguity by declaring, “We will be taking a break until further notice.”

[UPDATE: Radio Free Sarawak back on the air 12 August 2013]

Listen to their final broadcast (studio copy) embedded below:

(Source: Radio Free Sarawak)

While most PR supporters are still reeling from the results of the GE13 amidst widespread rigging that are essentially acts of treason, activists and ordinary people alike are not giving up on booting out the BN government The have set their sights on the 11th state election that will have to be conducted latest by early 2016.

Meanwhile, take a listen to the analysis of Dr Mohd Faisal Syam Abdol Hazis from the Universiti Malaysia Sarawak of the results in the state.

Last but not least, we hear the sadness, anger, frustration and nevertheless, determination of RFS and PR supporters to realise the dream of changing the government in the near future.

p/s Today’s show will be our last. We will be taking a break until further notice. Thank you for your support. It will be a memorable 18 months! We hope you had enjoyed the experience as much as we did.

Spread the radio love

Al Jazeera: Radio Free Sarawak offers alternative voice ahead of elections

1 Reply

Clandestine station, Radio Free Sarawak, offers an alternative voice in Malaysia ahead of elections next week. For those living in remote jungle communities–places where the Internet is not readily available–Radio Free Sarawak can be heard on shortwave radio.

Al Jazeera’s Florence Looi reports from a village in Sarawak:

Added to other posts tagged: Why Shortwave Radio?

Spread the radio love

Radio Free Sarawak is back on shortwave

Leave a reply

(Source: Free Malaysia Today)

KUCHING: Radio Free Sarawak is back after an almost four months hiatus. It is re-launching this week with an expanded team and greater ambitions.

It kicks off with a two hour daily timeslot from 6 – 8 pm on the shortwave 17560 kHz bandwidth.
According to its media release, the RFS “will continue to focus on the concerns and interests of the ordinary people of Sarawak, mainly rural folk, who currently have no access to an independent news source. ”

“We will also address urban and Malaysia-wide issues in recognition of its popular following among internet users and listeners from other states,” said the statement.

RFS has been credited for the Chief Minister Taib Mahmud-led Barisan Nasional coalition’s losses in the mixed and rural constituencies in Sarawak in the April state polls where BN won 55 seats while the opposition made inroads with 15 seats, whilst one seat, Pelagus, went to independent George Lagong.

This was an unprecedented victory for the opposition.

Read the full article at Free Malaysia Today.

If you want to catch Radio Sarawak as DX, try 17,560 kHz between 1000-1200 UTC. Their broadcast is also available online via www.radiofreesarawak.org .

Read previous posts about RFS by clicking here.

Spread the radio love

New shortwave radio station: Radio Free Sarawak

Leave a reply

The independent radio station, Radio Free Sarawak has started broadcasting via shortwave on 7590 and 15680 kHz. RFS broadcasts are targeted to communities in Sarawak, East Malaysia at 6:30-7:30 and 18:00-19:00 local time (or 22:30-23:00 and 10:00-11:00 UTC respectively).

Per the RFS webite:

Radio Free Sarawak is the independent radio station that brings you the news you want to hear, not what others want you to hear. No one controls us, except you, the listeners of Sarawak . So tune in and enjoy the news, interviews, reports and comment that you will never get to hear on any of the other government-controlled radio stations in Sarawak. There will be plenty of our best music too, all presented to you in Iban by Papa Orang Utan, our own man from the jungle of Sarawak!

Radio Free Sarawak has been broadcasting daily since November 14th–you can listen to past episodes online.

Thanks to Myke (via FB) for the tip!

Links:

Spread the radio love