Manama: Kuwait's government has asked the information ministry to shut down all television stations broadcasting from Kuwaiti without a local permission.
"The decision aims to regularize the work of the satellite channels and curb abuses by some of them," the government said in a letter to the information ministry, Kuwaiti daily Al Jareeda reported on Monday.
A list of all channels operating in Kuwait, with and without accreditation, should be handed to the government, the report said. The names of all Kuwaiti stations broadcasting from foreign countries should also be given to the government.
Sources that the daily did not name attributed the decision to a firm resolve by the government to take action against all illegal channels, stressing that they would be closed down immediately.
The information ministry also requested all channels to provide within two months details about vehicle-mounted equipment they use to broadcast.
Several private stations have waded into controversy after beaming talk shows and programmes that sparked furious reactions from families, tribes or lawmakers that threatened to degenerate into clashes, prompting the government to take action to control the situation.
