JOURNOS RESOLVE DISPUTES WITH MANAGEMENT
In what is seen as the first such incident in the country, working journalists of a media house launched a successful agitation and forced the management to concede to their professional demands.
Representatives of Nepal One Television management and the agitating journalists of the same channel came to an agreement on 7 May at Kathmandu. The agreement between the representative of the management, Pradeep Roy and representative of the agitating journalists Rebati Sapkota was signed under the supervision of Mahendra Bista, FNJ secretary general, advocate Ramesh Badal, FNJ's legal advisor, Bishnu Lamsal, general secretary of Labor and Transportation Ministry and Narayan Prasad Regmi, joint-secretary of Information and Communication Ministry.
The demands that have been addressed are, the immediate issuance of contract to its staffers since the date they have joined the organization, implementation of accident and medical insurance and provident fund among others.
Nepal One journalists and employees have been protesting against the management of the television channel with 20 point demand since the last 18 days. They were on a fast-unto-death strike since Saturday (5 May). Those on the indefinite fast-unto-death strike were journalists Raj Kumar Regmi, Rishi Dhamala and Bishnu Kalpit. However, Kalpit broke the strike on the evening of the same day, after his health deteriorated.
After the settlement of dispute, agitating journos broke off their hunger strike in the presence of Speaker Subas Nemwang, UML general secretary Madhav Kumar Nepal, other senior political leaders and FNJ president Bishnu Nishthuri.
Earlier, Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala had enquired Nishthuri about the ongoing protest. Meanwhile, political leaders as well as Jacqueline Park from International Federation of Journalists showed solidarity with the agitation.
MAOISTS STILL TERRORISTS: US
The US is the only country to maintain its designation of the Maoists as a terrorist organization at the end of 2006, a new report by the US state department says. The report made public recently states, from January to November 2006, Maoists were responsible for the deaths of 165 security personnel and 46 civilians.
During the same time period, the government killed 182 suspected Maoist militants, the report states. The report quoted Nepal's National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) that murders by Maoists lessened after the ceasefire in April, but still totaled 28 from May until November. Security force killings of Maoist insurgents were also significantly lower after the ceasefire, totaling nine during the same period.
The report further says, "Despite the ceasefire, Maoist rebels continued to conduct abductions, extortion, and violence. In the Kathmandu Valley, Maoists took advantage of their dramatically increased presence and the government's reluctance to upset the peace process to expand their use of extortion and efforts to undermine trade unions and student groups affiliated with the political parties. They also continued forced recruitment of schoolchildren, with thousands targeted after the signing of the initial November 8 peace accord."
The report cites two major strikes called by the Maoists as instances of the breach of the peace agreement. On September 20, and again on December 19, the Maoists declared nationwide transportation strikes. Both events were accompanied by the stoning of vehicles, and each lasted only for the declared period, demonstrating Maoist command and control.
The US has also placed the terrorist tag on the Janatantrik Terai Mukti Morcha (JTMM). "This year also saw the beginning of a disturbing new trend with the activation of the separatist Maoist-splinter terrorist group called the Janatantrik Terai Mukti Morcha (JTMM), which aimed to bring about the secession of the southern Terai plains from the rest of Nepal," it says.
The report states that 'imperialist' US and 'expansionist' India were the targets of considerable Maoists, especially in the period leading up to the April uprising but a trip by Maoist Chairman Prachanda to New Delhi on November 18 seemed to mark the culmination of a shift in the Maoist view of Nepal's large neighbor to the south. The United States provided substantial antiterrorism assistance and training to Nepal's security forces, including courses on crisis management and critical incident management, the report said. nepalnews.com reports
