VOA标准英语2009年-Cameroon Closes Radio Station Critical of

By Scott Stearns
Dakar
08 October 2009

 
Cameroon President Paul Biya (file photo)
Authorities in Cameroon have closed a private FM radio station that has been broadcasting illegally from the capital for several months. The station was highly critical of President Paul Biya.

Dementi FM began broadcasting about six months ago on a vacant frequency in the capital Yaounde.

Owner George Gilbert Baongla aired commentary and call-in shows highly critical of the Biya government - similar to the content of his Le Dementi newspaper which was closed last year.

Communications Minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary says he ordered security forces to close Dementi FM not because of the content of its broadcasts. Bakary says there are many radio stations critical of the government, and most of them continue to operate under the government's policy of "administrative¹ tolerance²" even though they have not paid their $100,000 deposit for a broadcast license³.

Bakary says the difference with Dementi is that when they found no one broadcasting at 90.5 FM they simply took the frequency for themselves unlike more than 100 independent radio stations that have been properly assigned frequencies by the Communications Ministry⁴.

"Most of them have at least the acknowledgement of the ministerial department," he said. "We know of their existence because they have an authorization⁵ which enables them to operate legally despite the fact that they have not paid the due imposed by the law and regulations. But as far as Dementi is concerned, they discovered that there is a frequency which is available and they are operating. And this is completely wrong."

Bakary says he will close other pirate radio stations in the coming days as part of a campaign that he says is meant to clean up Cameroon's media landscape.

Dementi's closure follows an August crackdown on Sky One Radio for a program called "Le Tribunal" in which the radio presenter⁶ conducted trials and passed judgement live on air.

The Biya government says that program was inciting⁷ violence. Station owner Joseph Angoula Angoula says he is in talks with the communications ministry to pay his broadcast license deposit in installments⁸. The program "Le Tribunal" will be dropped.

1 administrative   

adj.行政的，管理的

参考例句：

• The administrative burden must be lifted from local government.必须解除地方政府的行政负担。
• He regarded all these administrative details as beneath his notice.他认为行政管理上的这些琐事都不值一顾。

2 tolerance   

n.宽容；容忍，忍受；耐药力；公差

参考例句：

• Tolerance is one of his strengths.宽容是他的一个优点。
• Human beings have limited tolerance of noise.人类对噪音的忍耐力有限。

3 license   

n.执照，许可证，特许；v.许可，特许

参考例句：

• The foreign guest has a license on the person.这个外国客人随身携带执照。
• The driver was arrested for having false license plates on his car.司机由于使用假车牌而被捕。

4 ministry   

n.(政府的)部；牧师

参考例句：

• They sent a deputation to the ministry to complain.他们派了一个代表团到部里投诉。
• We probed the Air Ministry statements.我们调查了空军部的记录。

5 authorization   

n.授权，委任状

参考例句：

• Anglers are required to obtain prior authorization from the park keeper.垂钓者必须事先得到公园管理者的许可。
• You cannot take a day off without authorization.未经批准你不得休假。

6 presenter   

n.（电视、广播的）主持人，赠与者

参考例句：

• Most people think being a television presenter is exciting.很多人认为当电视节目主持人是一件刺激的事情。
• The programme dispensed with its most popular presenter.这个节目最受欢迎的主持人被换掉了。

7 inciting   

刺激的，煽动的

参考例句：

• What are you up to inciting mutiny and insubordination? 你们干吗在这里煽动骚动的叛乱呀。
• He was charged with inciting people to rebel. 他被控煽动民众起来叛乱。

8 installments   

部分( installment的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The first two installments were pretty close together in 1980. 第一次和节二次提款隔得很近，都是在1980年提的。
• You have an installments sales contract. 你已经订立了一份分期付款的买卖契约了。