PRESS FREEDOM
Sinister Attacks
In an eerily familiar tactics, the Maoist-affiliated workers disrupt distribution of yet more newspapers
By SANJAYA DHAKAL
Just a little over one month ago, the Maoist-affiliated delivery boys had stopped the publication of Nepal Samacharpatra and Mahanagar dailies for five days.
Applying similar tactics, they disrupted the distribution of The Himalayan Times and Annapurna Post dailies this week.
On July 21, the two dailies did not reach the market due to disruption. "On 21st July it did not reach the market because all distribution in Kathmandu was hijacked by the Maoist affiliated trade union," stated a statement issued by Ram Pradhan, the editor of THT, on behalf of The International Media Network Nepal.
The Maoist affiliated trade union workers (delivery boys) creating obstruction beat up dispatch staff of Annapurna Post and The Himalayan Times. "We conclude that such act is a blatant attack on the independent press and interference in the people's right to information," the statement added.
The publishing organization has made it clear that the delivery boys are not affiliated with it. "Nine distribution agencies including RB News are involved in the distribution of these dailies and they manage all the things related to the distribution of these dailies. It is no concern of the publishers of Annapurna Post and The Himalayan Times on what kind of individuals are involved in the distribution of the papers and how much salary is paid to them," the statement said.
The delivery boys disrupted the distribution demanding that they be made permanent staffs of the organization and their salaries be hiked. Their demands, the publisher has said, is "a mockery of the labor laws in this country."
"We believe that the rights of working staffers should be protected. However, the act of piling newspapers in the front door of their offices by taking control of the vehicles carrying the papers in the name of workers is a criminal offence. It is highly regrettable that the government is a silent spectator even at a time when a criminal act is being committed in media houses with impunity. The government has proved to be powerless to protect the right and independence of journalists."
Referring to similar disruptions in Nepal Samacharpatra and in Kantipur and The Kathmandu Post some weeks ago, the statement said that incidents like these show that there is planned offensive against the private media houses. "This should be taken with utmost seriousness and there is the need to raise strong voices for press freedom."
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala told a visiting delegation of publishers of major broadsheet newspapers and TV broadcasters that he will not tolerate attacks against press freedom. Urging the publishers not to give in to unjustified demands, PM assured to take up the issue with Maoist leadership.
The Federation of Nepalese Journalists (FNJ) and Press Council, too, have expressed solidarity with the newspapers saying that they cannot support efforts that infringe upon the people’s right to information.
NBL MANAGEMENT ROW
As the foreign management team of ICC has, unilaterally, cancelled its contract to oversee the management of Nepal Bank Limited (NBL), the Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) has started consultations regarding new management.
For the interim period, the board of directors of the NBL, on Saturday (July 21), appointed a three-member team to look after the management. The team is headed by Mahesh Dhakal and includes Keshab Raj Lamichhane and Keshab Prasad Pathik.
Earlier, the ICC management team chief J. Craig McAllister wrote a letter to the NRB, Finance Ministry and the chief donor World Bank informing about the decision of cancellation of the contract. Claiming that the NRB did not cooperate with it in resolving the pressures from the employees' union and did not address their conditions, the ICC team had announced the cancellation of contract. They were also dissatisfied with the decision of the NRB to extend their contract by only six months – as against their demand for 18 months extension.
On the other hand, Finance Minister Dr. Ram Sharan Mahat has said that if the ICC management team withdraws, then the government will hand over the management to a Nepali team. "In the present context in the country, we cannot extend the management tenure by more than six months. If the foreign team is not willing to accept this offer, we will have to look for alternatives," Dr. Mahat said.
