Journalists in Manipur have resolved not to yield to threats issued by militants. This (the resolution) came following a meeting between various journalists' organisations and a number of civil society groups of the state in Imphal on Tuesday.
The meeting was organised as a follow-up to the recent threat issued by a militant organisation to newspapers to publish their points of view or face closure. For two days — October 28 and 29 — editors in Manipur decided not to publish newspapers in protest against the armtwisting tactics of the ultra group. The newspapers resumed publishing on October 30.
The All Manipur Working Journalists' Union (AMWJU), the Editors' Forum Manipur (EFM), and representatives of students' organisations, women's organisations, and various nongovernmental organisations which met at the Press Club in Imphal, passed three resolutions at the end of the deliberations.
The meeting resolved that no group or individual should be allowed to coerce newspapers to publish any statement. The meeting also resolved that journalists would try to correctly inform the people about incidents. Lastly, the meeting resolved to jointly fight all threats issued against newspapers.
A joint statement issued by the AMWJU and EFM prior to the meeting had said that the impasse (non-publication of newspapers) had resulted as a consequence of a resolution of editors of state dailies not to publish a statement of the Kangleipak Communist Party (City Meitei) that did not adhere to prescribed criteria of the AMWJU (duly endorsed by the EFM). The newspapers had refused to publish the statement since it had not been printed on the letterhead of the militant outfit concerned.
Since the KCP (City Meitei) statement was rejected for not conforming to the prescribed norms, a caller identifying himself as City Meitei served an ultimatum to dailies to either publish the statement or cease publication altogether, the joint release said.
Earlier, major insurgent organisation United National Liberation Front (UNLF) had banned KCP (City Meitei) outfit for tarnishing the image of rebels by extorting the public in the name of revolution. The AMWJU, the biggest body of media personnel in the state, extended support to the decision and appealed to all sections of the people not to interrupt the functioning of mediapersons and news establishments in the state.
