(FNJ/IFEX) – Almost every day of the first week of June 2006, activists demanding that Nepal be once again declared a Hindu state have burned newspapers sent from the capital to Birgunj and some other areas of the Terai region of Nepal. According to “The Himalayan Times” the activists accuse the newspapers of supporting the […]
(FNJ/IFEX) – Almost every day of the first week of June 2006, activists demanding that Nepal be once again declared a Hindu state have burned newspapers sent from the capital to Birgunj and some other areas of the Terai region of Nepal.
According to “The Himalayan Times” the activists accuse the newspapers of supporting the House declaration that made the country a secular state.
A person claiming to be a supporter of the activists’ movement also telephoned “THT” and AP correspondent Ravi Dahal to demand that “THT” run, on their front pages, a story on the “bandh” [a form of mass protest, similar to a general strike] called by the activists. He also warned that members of the activist’s movement would torch the newspaper’s vehicle and harass its reporters if the papers failed to publicise their announcement of the protest.
The FNJ has urged the government to pay more attention to such acts of hooliganism that directly affect newspapers and journalists.
In a separate development, the District Administration office of Siraha District has stalled the registration of the newspaper “Loktantrik Weekly” on 6 June.
Musaharu Mahato, member of the FNJ-Siraha Chapter, submitted an application to register the paper on 5 June. When the application reached Officer Surya Prasad Koirala for final approval, he halted the process. He said the registration had been stalled because of the newspaper’s name, which in English means “democratic”.
After the incident, FNJ-Siraha Chapter sent another application to the District Administration office in an attempt to move the process forward.
FNJ-Sirha Chapter condemns the incident and urges the authorities to register the paper according to proper procedure.