Militant
threats force journalists in Manipur to cease work
Guwahati, Sep 28 (IANS) An indefinite strike by journalists to protest
attempts by separatists to muzzle media freedom in Manipur hit publication of
daily newspapers for the second straight day Friday.
"We
shall meet later today to discuss the future course of action, but one thing is
for sure, we are not going to be cowed down by pressure from the underground
groups," said a spokesman of the All Manipur Working Journalists Union
(AMWJU) from Manipur`s capital Imphal.
Newspaper
editors and journalists of at least 50 English and vernacular publications,
including a news portal from Manipur, decided to cease work following threats
from two outlawed rebel groups over publication of a news story.
"The
United National Liberation Front (UNLF) wanted all newspapers to carry a news
item on the kidnapping of a student leader by unidentified miscreants, while
the People`s Liberation Army (PLA) had threatened editors with dire consequences
if the story was published," the spokesman said.
"The
threats and counter-threats by the two rival underground groups have led us to
call the strike."
Police
said unidentified gunmen abducted Sanatomba Singh, a leader of the Manipur
University Students` Union on Monday. He was later released.
"The
two rival groups was trying to outsmart the other over the kidnapping and that
led to the strike by the newspapers," a police official said.
The
UNLF and the PLA, both influential militant groups, are fighting for
independent homelands in Manipur. There are at least 19 rebel groups active in
the state, bordering Myanmar, with demands ranging from secession to greater
autonomy and the right to self-determination.
"It
is very unfortunate and such threats and interference does not bode well for
free and fair functioning of the media," Pradip Phanjoubam, editor of the
Imphal Free Press, a leading English daily, told IANS by telephone from Imphal.
Militants
in Manipur have killed at least five journalists during the past one-decade,
besides intimidation and threats to newspapers over publication of stories.
More
than 10,000 lives have been lost to insurgency in Manipur during the past two
decades.
--Indo-Asian
News Service
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