Nepal’s largest independent publishing house that publishes two biggest newspapers is the latest target of the CPN Maoist
Today’s issues of Kantipur and the Kathmandu Post are without a single advertisement. This is unusual given the fact that Kantipur, Nepal’s largest paper, attracts many pages of advertisements daily in normal circumstances. But yesterday Maoist affiliated trade union blocked the collection and publication of the ads in the papers in their efforts to bring the independent media in their terms in the name of the movement for increase in salary and other benefits. A few months ago, they did the similar act and both papers were forced to publish without a single piece of advertisement. At that time it was not reported in the papers because the management of Kantipur Publications, publisher of Kantipur and the Post, were engaged in talks. On that night, the agitating pro-Maoist workers allowed the printing and participated in the printing process on the 12th hour as the management took the paper in the press in their effort to print the paper ignoring the agitating workers.
Journalists of both Kantipur and the Post are vocally against this disrupt-the-publications-anyhow attitude of the pro-Maoist workers. Journalists believe that this attitude is a threat to the freedom of press that they so hardly fought for in the royal autocratic regime formed after the royal coup of 2005. Ignoring the pro-Maoist workers protests, all reporters are working in the papers to bring out qualitative issues of the papers. The journalists’ main point is even if you want to demand better facilities you can’t stop the publication of the paper or financially harm the publishers.
Yesterday (26 Sept), the management issued an internal memo stating that they were going to start to fulfill the agreement they reached with the Kantipur section of the Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) from today. Likewise, they have also raised allowance for delivery boys by Rs. 100 and increased the tea allowance for staffs by Rs. 150.
The Maoist affiliated trade union has been intimidating the newspapers in Kathmandu to fulfill their demands and bring, in their own words, pro-bourgeois big media, into their terms. Reporters feel that they are not really working for the staffs of the publications but promoting the interests of the Maoist party. The Union workers wear t-shirts with the photo of Maoist Chairman Prachanda printed on the chest. Their signboard has the photos of Prachanda and other international communist leaders. Reporters also feel that they are directly or indirectly operated by the Maoist trade union and the party to disrupt the country’s biggest and independent paper. Here is more from today’s issue of the Kathmandu Post:
In yet another attack on press freedom, the Maoist-affiliated trade union at Kantipur Publications has forcefully stopped collection and publication of advertisement since Wednesday (26 September).
“Despite the Publications’ willingness for dialogue and raise in benefits for its employees to the best of its capacity, the union irresponsibly issued an ultimatum Tuesday evening and forcefully stopped advertisement collection from 2 pm on Wednesday,” Kailash Sirohiya, managing director of the publications, said in a statement issued here.
The publications has termed the Maoist trade union’s action a planned and unjustifiable infringement of people’s right to information and has condemned the move. It has vowed to fight against the unjustifiable interference of the union to curtail people’s right to information.
“In the name of getting one’s demands met, the Maoist organization has obstructed advertisement collection and its publication in a bid to bring about the economic collapse of the publications,” the publications further said.
The publications also said the fresh move of the Maoist-aligned All Nepal Communication, Printing and Publications Workers’ Union (ANCPPWU) is the continuation of recent attacks on other media outlets, including Kamana Publications and APCA House.
Maoist trade unions at Kamana and APCA had recently disrupted the publication and circulation of newspapers published by the groups on one pretext or another.
According to the publications, several formal and informal talks were held with the trade union regarding their demands and an understanding was even reached with ANCPPWU.
The latest understanding was reached on September 9 in the presence of representatives of All Nepal Trade Union Federation and the leadership of the union had agreed to ink the agreed understanding on September 10. But they declined to sign the agreement.
The publications further said it has already made its commitment public to implement to the letter the Working Journalists Act and Regulations, which are yet to be enforced. Despite this, the Maoists have tried to close down the publication before the Regulations are in place, which is a sign of Maoist authoritarianism.
The publications also said it would compensate its subscribers if its publications were not delivered on time due to the protests of the trade union.
United We Blog 
Comments
25 responses to “Maoist Trade Union's Naked Intervention in Kantipur Publications”
This is yet another act of the maoist who are showing what they really are. they have not given up their ways of working before they come to the political mainstream of the country. even the other parties of the government have not said much about these kinds of activities from the maoists which is really a sad thing.
these kinds of activities not only slow down the nation’s economic growth but also bring negative attitude towards the maoists only.
they had been saying it’s the people’s way. but how? it was the “people” who were the ones suffering during their so called “people’s war”
it is the top leaders who have to justify the acts carried out by them and all what they have done.
” you wll reap what you sow” Kantipur suffered this fate because it supported Maoist terrorist blindly. Even though I disagree many view of Kantipur as a democrat I fully condemn this act of Terrorist. Press freedom is fundamental for survival of functioning democracy. This is not a time to revel in trouble of Kantipur this is time to protest strongly againts this act of terrorism. As one famouse german writer wrote in thime of Nazi germanyh that when gestapo came to arrest the communist, he did nothing because he is not a communist, when they came to arrest jew he did nothing because he was not a jew, when they came to arrest neigbour he did nothing becuase he was not that man but when they came to arrest him there was nobody to protest his arrest. So if we do not protest and act strongly againts this communist maoist terrorist we might end up meeting same fate eventually. I have always been telling that this Maoist is following more of hitler’s way that Mao, Nepali Maoist are dangerous mixture of Hitlers Nazi and cambodia’s Pol Pot as they have been using same tactics to finish off the enemy. Sad part is that even centerist party like congress has surrendered to Maoist and moved leftward so there is no balancing power in Nepal. I have been repeating so many time that this will end up having civil war in Nepal. EVERYBODY STOP THE MAOIST TERRORIST NOW OR FACE THE SAME FUTURE AS CAMBODIA.
Happy Loktantra….
More to come after Ganatanra and under my regime…
this is really unfair……..
every thing has to go with laws n order but look at the maoist…….
this is why they are losing their grounds…..
look before u leap…….
thats the only way 2 keep u safe……
otherwise its on the hand of…………
The whole news community, civil society, political parties, everybody must come come together to thwart Maoists hooliganism. This smacks of insecurity on Moaists part in the run up to elections.
Who is left now?? I guess each and every national newspaper had tasted the “loktantra” now, they must feel proud as their” efforts” supporting “loktantra” ( not Prajatantra, I still don’t know the difference) have materialized .
Happy Loktanra !!
Kantipur has been notorious for blindly printing whatever Maoist said – just to secure the title of Nepal’s most popular daily – without ever realizing how those news might affect common man. Just to have sensational anchor news, journos have sold their moral. Feeding milk to the snake will never benifit anyone.
Now the same snake has outgrown and ready to bite the same feeder.
Well, deal with it !
Its your problem not mine !
As “hope” said,
we knew how panchayat was
we know how prajatanra was
we are living through loktantra
now, what knows what ganatantra may be
it must b a drastic change
hey admin
but dont u think its a lil strange.. that our country was acutally progressing we had peace … there was bread in everyones home and a roof above u when we had panchyat..
but when we are supposed to be FREE now.. or no lets say .. LIBERATED by the maoists heros now.. and we have this secular nation and living up to this great bankrupt ideas of our current leaders.. we are going downhill.. now..
so sad.. no tantra works in this country.. whatever form we may try to rhym into .. …. prajatantra,loktantra,ganatantra ….
This story is getting old. Seriously old. Get used to it and get on with life. Kantipur’s freedom of press isn’t exactly a number one priority on the list of hurdle for Nepal at the moment.
Progressing in Panchayat?? Hmm that’s bit overstatement , becasue you had no idea what progress means, you had very little knowledge about the outer world and yeah, when you close your eyes, it’s dark everywhere!! So , progress ……..
But yes, we were progressing during 14 years of Prajatantra( loktantra??), despite all the misgovernment, stupid leadership,corruption,nepotism we did move ahead. Democracy is never perfect but we were practicing whatever way we can and people were gradually getting used to the democratic means and values. The media was lot free and more responsible, the bureaucracy was inefficient but learning, civil administration was though inadequate but trying and people have started benifitting from the democratic phenomenon. I have no doubt , had the systemcontinued we would have been in much better position than what we are now.
Then comes maoists into the picture, the destruction started immediately. The achievement of people’s blood and tears of more than a decade was thrashed , the ethnic and religious harmony ,which we take pride on were destroyed,the learning process of democracy was abruptly haulted,the goodwill of the country was replaced by notoriety and most important thing is the Hope of millions were dashed.
Will they ever pay a price for this heinous crime ?? There are extreme words for extreme crimes like Massacre,Genocide, but I’m still unable to find a suitable word to describe the crime against a country and it’s 25 million people in this magnitude. Maoists not only killed 14000 human lives they are actually murdering a country as a whole. A country consisting twenty five million, they are killing us mercilessly, they are perpetrating slow but sure death to our country. The crimes against whole nation and it’s people, is actully unprecedented in modern history. Maoist are saffocating a country by various means and it’s shocking to see some people still misleaded by thier propoganda.If you still cannot wake up from this maoists dream, you better sleep in forever!!
But in those panchayat haydays the ppl out here still had a sense of SECURITY
they knew the government gona do smth if someone goes against the law
but now the only identity you got to have is a maoist to be scot free whether its murder,arson. even if u get in jail the other ones will burn a few tyres, call a nepal banda and then they gona get scot free too.. .. take that for a security..
so whats the difference btwn cp paras and a common maoist now ?
both are immune from the law..
so effectively we are replacing one paras with another one…
the maos after tasting power.. is like a tiger tastin blood.. it wont let it go now usually.. when their cadres are livin in inhumane condition in so called camps the top brass is gettin used to dine in 5 star hotels…
ps. btw the recent police top brass had also admitted the intelligence was of top quality in the panchayat time.. now …. its.. … khoi k vane ho
trade union rights(DAL BHAT) or press freedom?
publication is a business company. they have to comply with union rights. anti union media house are not appriciated.
if someone try to establish the workers right in the country, why do we have to be negative, i dont understand. we have worse conditon in trade union rights than press freedom, someone needs attetion in it.
the higher level and medium level ppl got approach in this blog or internet, who will care about those lower level ppl who work whole day and sleep without proper food, proper selter at night.
even developed country, like usa and uk, we can be union member.
i have union where i work. company management and union bargain and reach in an agreement in any issue.
in the name of press freedom, JANATA KO PET MA LAT HANNA PAIDAINA.
its true, in media house, many journalists and workers are exploited by owners. i dont have to explain it.
media houses are not expemted from trade union law.
lets give big hand to those who work to establish trade union rights. we still have to reward those hard workers.
trade union members also have to act in proper manner, no doubts.
Good for kantipur. At least now this paper will wake up and tell us the difference between prajatantra, loktantra and ganatantra.
They’re not disrupting your publication. They are disrupting your revinue. That’s obeying the rules. Printing a nice big front page one sided story about a dispute that your involved in is not exactly principled.
Of course, your front page news stories are already mostly editorials against the Maoists anyway. So not much is changed.
Well, despite the fact that Kantipur and this blog continuously ignored the saga that both Himalayan Tines and Samacharpatra went through at the hands of the terrorist “trade union”, my sympathy is still with the Publication House. These terrorist are out to destroy anyone who fairly or in a balanced way, come out to protest the excesses of the party led by TTT Pushpa Kamal and Ceremonial Baburam. As much as TTT proclaims to stand for democracy (competitive at that), they are for a totalitarian state. And one cannot blame Kantipur for publishing articles against the Maoists– there is nothing positve to write about this terrorist outfit anyway-shying away from election isn’t really the best way to continously call of inclusivelness in everything we do. These terrorist cowards want to take over by hook and by crook– and crooks that they are will any unfair means to gag the media, coerce the civil society to not talk against them and take physical actiona against anyone who talks against them. SOon after they left the government, they had annoucned that they will go after everyone who is vehemently opposed to their ideologies. The fight is on against these totalitarian communists.
Kantipur deserves all this even more. I request the Maoists to bang the crap out of Kantipur and all the goons working for it.
Go Maoists! For once noname is with you all!
pol pot Prachande:
The cadres of UML, Nepali congress, and other parties are being beaten up mercilessly by your YCL thugs, and you do not speak up even a word against such atrocities. I am just wondering what type of animal you are? Your mother must be a prostitute and must have slept with at least one dozen people to bring you to this world. Every time your YCL thug beat up one innocent people, we kill at least one YCL thug in Terai. That is our principle.
It is true that Prachande’s mother was married to two other people before she was married to his father. That is why he is called the son of whore.
It is true that Prachande’s mother was married to two other people before she was married to his father. That is why he is called the son of whore.
Murderer Puspa Kamal Dahal:
Since you are encouraging your YCL goons to resort to violence, Your days are numbered. Just Watch!!!
prachanda ji tapai ko identity dine pess ra radio nai ho , yo kura bhulnu bhayo ki? press jasle maoists lai bokera das year samma heedo,wo sailai aaja tapai laat handai hunuhunchha? yaaso garda bandami bhayk aaru ki hudai na.
This incident shows that sahujees of kantipur have to learn to treat their employees better and be transparent in their business deals. Initially, how much money sahujees got from Gyancha to support Maoists against Nepali Congress? Later, how much more they got from Indos to oppose Gyane? Now how much more and more they are getting from Amrikane to oppose Maoists? Out of this loot, how much do they give to loyal journalists in envelopes? What is left for poor workers? Maoist trade union must be praised for bringing these issues out in the open.
where is my western follower Mr. Neil ( Comrade NEIL KANTHA ) ?
Please reply to all in decent words (our typical style of decency) why we are against Press and Journalist?
(Would be) First President of Nepal
Pu. Ka. Da.
“They’re not disrupting your publication. They are disrupting your revinue. That’s obeying the rules. Printing a nice big front page one sided story about a dispute that your involved in is not exactly principled.
Of course, your front page news stories are already mostly editorials against the Maoists anyway. So not much is changed. “
well said comrade Neil kantha, only thing is you misspelled “revenue”. Come on, wake up. Is this the same,what you teach to IELTS students?