Journalists and members of civil society in New Baneshwor before starting a protest rally against Maoist intimidation.
Kantipur, TKP publication obstructed in Bharatpur again: Today’s (3 Oct) western regional editions of Kantipur and The Kathmandu Post dailies couldn’t be published on the second consecutive day. read here
Govt vows to punish those involved in attack on Kantipur Publications: read here
Update (17:00 PM): Journalists, members of Nepali civil society and political activists took out a rally this afternoon that began from New Baneshwor and ended in Maitighar Mandala as a corner meeting. Addressing the mass Prateek Pradhan, editor of the Kathmandu Post, said that Kantipur Publications, publisher of the Post and Kantipur daily, will not be intimidated by the Maoist threat. He thanked all people for participating and demonstrating solidarity to Kantipur. He also said that Kantipur Publications will continue fighting against the autocratic attitude of the Maoist party. The voice of freedom and the voice of Kantipur will prevail, he said. He also informed the mass that Maoist activists were picketing the Kantipur Complex to bar the journalists and other staffs from participating in the rally. Other prominent personalities including former Nepal Bar Association president Shambhu Thapa, chief of SAFMA Nepal Gopal Thapaliya, Federation of Nepali Journalists president Bishnu Nishturi, prominent actor Sunil Pokharel expressed their solidarity with the Kantipur’s struggle against Maoist.
Filmmaker Samjhana Upriety Rauniar hold a copy of the eastern region edition of Kantipur that was printed in Biratnagar and was brought to Kathmandu by Kantipur Publications.
Meanwhile, Maoist activists surrounded the Kantipur complex and barred some journalists from getting out of the complex and participate in the rally.
Maoist cadres are holding a meeting in the middle of the street in front of Kantipur Complex creating havoc in the traffic.
Journalists looked fearful and anxious about what might happen next. Some reporters have returned from the rally and the chief reporter is telling them to start writing news. “Hurry up guys,” he said. “We must do our duty.”
Update 13:25 PM: Around 70 Maoist Young Communist League activists are surrounding the Eastern regional office of Kantipur Publications in Biratnagar. They are sloganeering against the papers. Eastern editions of both papers were printed (though Maoists disturbed the distribution) from Biratnagar while printing press in Bharatpur and Kathmandu remained closed.
Latest: Both Kantipur and the Kathmandu Post weren’t published from Kathmandu (National editions) today for the second consecutive day (and for the third time in the week). The printing press hasn’t been fixed yet. Maoists also prevented Western editions of both papers from being printed at the printing press in Bharatpur. The Maoist’s All Nepal Trade Union Federation (ANTUF) threatened to bomb Kantipur Publications’ Bharatpur office. The Eastern editions of the papers were printed from Biratnagar but the Maoist cadres obstructed the circulation of both dailies. They confiscated copies of the papers taken for distribution in the region and burnt them.
An employee at the printing press of the Kantipur Publications inspects the wires and control panel switches that were vandalized by the Maoist unionists. Because of this vandalism, both Kantipur and the Kathmandu Post, Nepal’s largest dailies, haven’t been published from Kathmandu.
The rally (02 October) came at Maitighar Mandala and turned into a meeting.
From inside the Kantipur Complex. The gate was closed as the Maoists were holding a meeting (02 October) outside issuing threats against the newspapers.
Meanwhile, Kantipur Publications has stated that the threat issued by the CPN-Maoist to close down Kantipur Daily and The Kathmandu Post forever and shut down Kantipur Television in the next four days in the name of their so-called “exposure program” against the Publications has drawn its serious attention. “The party’s public statement that the people’s right to information won’t be affected even if Kantipur Publications is closed down is extremely regrettable,” Chairman of the Publications Hem Raj Gyawali said in a statement issued Monday. “We are stunned by the remarks of Maoist lawmaker and Chairman of All Nepal Trade Union Federation, Salik Ram Jamkattel, who on Monday afternoon gathered his party cadres in YCL attire in front of Kantipur Complex and openly threatened to abduct and physically assault the Publications’ management officials and journalists categorically mentioning their names,” the statement added.
A team from Kantipur Publications including top management officials and editors and Federation of Nepali Journalists chairman yesterday visited the Prime Minister to apprize him of the latest on Maoist intimidation to the Publications. The PM assured them that he will not compromise on freedom of the press. Editors’ Alliance has condemned the attack on Kantipur.
A team of human rights activists visited Kantipur Publications yesterday. In the photo above, they are talking to editors of Kathmandu Post.
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Comments
63 responses to “Free Press Vs Maoists: Updates on Kantipur Struggle”
GB Shaw said something to the effect that ‘people always get the governments/leaders they deserve’. Reading the comments of most of the bloggers celebrating or gloating at the attack on Kantipur and not realising that an attack on the free press (even though Kantipur can be pretty vindictive at times) is an attack on their own basic rights to information and free speech just shows how a lot of our own Nepali brethen are such idiots. These idiots do actually deserve the sharp end of the YCL, SPA and Royalist excesses. When will the Nepali people stop being so self centered? Don’t blame the YCL/SPA/Royalist mafia-it’s because of idiotic people like you that they get the chance to rule.
Hmm, got it right Kirat, but personal vengence aside, and aside the political aspirations, the need of the hour is to turn this huge outrage against Maoists to actual movement which can forcefully drag them out, just like in Terai. I see this event as an opportunity to actually unite all the forces opposing Maoists then launch a stir, which would isolate them and probably defeat them in their own game. There may be some violence involved, afterall , we have seen it all, that doesn’r scare us anymore. We all who vehemently oppose the idea of Maoists dictatorship and those who not even in their dreams want to see Prachanda as a President of Nepal, have to get things right and join the agitation. It may sound unrealistic but maoists need another Terai in the valley, they must be treated with the same cruelty and barbarism that they are familiar with. I really think they just have touched the Bee hive and must face the concequences!!
hope-I agree with you totally. but the problem is our people. we are too self-centred to ever see the bigger picture. that ‘outrage against Maoists movement’ can only be possible if we can cast our pettiness aside. look at how the Royalists and other Kantipur publications ‘victims’ are gloating right now. that does not give me much hope.
Bob Marley :- ‘ Emancipate yourself from mental slavery, none but ourselves can free our minds.’
Thats the first thing we need to do before we can get to a better place!
Serves Kantipur Made-Bahun combine right for paying traitors like Yubaraj Ghimire and Bijaya Kumar to bring down democracy by promoting Baburam and Company.
scope-so your Maoist mouthpieces are famous for factual and unbiased reporting and views, huh? You guys are so deluded it’s scary.
I agreed with the YCL maoistssssss , they can do the real things and in the case of Kantipur, that medis must be ban in Nepal because that media was useless for the nepalese people and its news of fraud to fight among nepalese people….also Kantipur was run by India and Girija’s corrupt money invested….
Kantipur for quick money making, not for public service…..ban it for permanently…let’s give your hands to shoot them….hate Dhooti typo
haha, this Tauko itself is a dhooti and nonsense maoist. maoist =backward
ban kantipur
ban this blog
all these people are paid by gyane..
once we have our republic, we will take care of you all.
YCL jindabad
No guys, thats too much. lets stop kill or die. we need peace nepal. but maoist please get out from kantipur. we wants freedom. thats all
I miss the days when gyane was in charge. The army roamed the streets of Kathmandu everyday and the YCL criminals were no where in sight. It is time to bring out the army now and chase these terrorists back to india. Shoot them kill them do what ever it takes to get them out. Most of kathmandu will celebrate when that happens.
Kirat, compare Janadesh and Kantipur–bias was, it will impossible to see much difference.
scope-if you are saying that Kantipur and Janadesh are the same then shouldn’t the same action be taken against Janadesh? comrade the truth slipped out, eh?
Hmm, got it right Kirat, but personal vengence aside, and aside the political aspirations, the need of the hour is to turn this huge outrage against Maoists to actual movement which can forcefully drag them out, just like in Terai. I see this event as an opportunity to actually unite all the forces opposing Maoists then launch a stir, which would isolate them and probably defeat them in their own game. There may be some violence involved, afterall , we have seen it all, that doesn’r scare us anymore. We all who vehemently oppose the idea of Maoists dictatorship and those who not even in their dreams want to see Prachanda as a President of Nepal, have to get things right and join the agitation. It may sound unrealistic but maoists need another Terai in the valley, they must be treated with the same cruelty and barbarism that they are familiar with. I really think they just have touched the Bee hive and must face the concequences!!