 KIRAN PANDAY As participants launched Tourism Year 2011 at Tundikhel last Friday, shadows of another kind were threatening to engulf Nepal's media fraternity. Cue Psalm 23:4 from the Bible: Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil. |
We editors express deep anguish and strongly condemn the killing of Arun Kumar Singhaniya, the chairman of Janakpur Today. The killing, on the one hand, shows the fearsome form of cowardice and criminality, and on the other, the total absence of government.
This incident occurred less than a month after the killing of the Managing Director of the SpaceTime Network, Jamim Shah. Immediately after the killing of Singhaniya, criminals threatened the editor of Janakpur Today, Brij Kumar Yadav, as well as journalist with the Naya Patrika daily Manoj Ghartimagar, for publishing an interview of the only police officer arrested in the Jamim Shah incident. Before this, similar threats were issued against Kantipur Publications and The Himalayan Times. The government's insensitive passivity and total lack of accountability has helped boost the criminals intention to force the media to deviate from its duty amidst increasing insecurity. Criminal activities in the guise of politics have targeted the free press, civilian security and other fundamental norms and values of democracy.
We demand that the government immediately make efforts to arrest the criminals involved and bring them to justice. At this moment, we pledge that we will never surrender press freedom, which has been established as the legacy and symbol of people's rights, whatever the circumstances.
Ajaya Bhadra Khanal, The Himalayan Times
Akhilesh Upadhyay, The Kathmandu Post
Ameet Dhakal, Republica
Jiwendra Simkhada, Annapurna Post
Kiran Nepal, Himal Khabarpatrika
Krishnajwala Devkota, Naya Patrika
Narayan Wagle, Nagarik
Prashant Aryal, Nepal
Prateek Pradhan, Karobar
Puskarlal Shrestha, Nepal Samacharpatra
Rabi Thapa, Nepali Times
Sudheer Sharma, Kantipur
Yubaraj Ghimire, Rajdhani