RADIO SINGAPORE INTERNATIONAL (Mission)

Dr Kanwaljit Soin asked the Minister for Information and the Arts (a) what is the main mission of Radio Singapore International and (b) why the broadcasts are not available for local consumption.

The Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Information and the Arts (Encik Mohamad Maidin B P M) (for the Minister for Information and the Arts): Mr Speaker, Sir, Radio Singapore International (RSI) was launched on 1st February 1994. The mission of RSI is to provide external audiences and Singaporeans abroad with a reliable and objective source of news and information on international, regional and domestic events. Through RSI, Singaporeans abroad are kept in touch with what is happening at home. RSI also enables others who are interested in Singapore, a convenient way to learn more about us and to see the way Singaporeans view the world.

RSI broadcasts are not available locally because its services are for listeners outside Singapore. The transmissions in shortwave cannot be heard in Singapore. This is similar to the United Kingdom where BBC World Service shortwave transmissions are also generally not receivable in the country. However, local listeners do not need RSI's services as they have 14 local radio channels which cater to their needs.

Dr Kanwaljit Soin: Sir, would the Parliamentary Secretary agree that a lot of time, money and effort are spent in producing the programmes for Radio Singapore International? So, would he consider having them broadcast on FM so that we in Singapore can have the benefit of listening to them as well?

Encik Mohamad Maidin B P M: Sir, at the moment, all available FM channels have been used up. So we do not have any FM channel. In any case, this service is meant for external audience, not for Singaporeans. However, Singaporeans who have some interest in RSI programmes can follow its news and information features which are available on the RSI Web site on Internet. This is another means for local Singaporeans who are interested in RSI broadcasts to have access to the programmes.

Dr Kanwaljit Soin: Sir, would the Parliamentary Secretary let us know which countries get these broadcasts and what is our range and how many people are estimated to be listening to these broadcasts?

Encik Mohamad Maidin B P M: Sir, RSI serves mainly the South-east Asian region, and these countries are mainly Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, the southern part of Thailand, Cambodia, and southern Vietnam. It is broadcast for about nine hours a day.

Dr Kanwaljit Soin: Sir, would we have any idea on what is the number of listeners?

Encik Mohamad Maidin B P M: Since its inception, RSI has succeeded in making its presence felt in the target region. We receive comments on the programmes based on letters and feedback and they have so far been quite positive. However, there is no figure to show how many of them are listening actually. But some feedback indicates that people are listening to the service and, I think, over time, we will try to improve further.