Manipur media still under fire

Imphal, Oct 13: All newspapers and electronic media houses in Manipur remained shut for the third day today since October 11 last after yet another attack on media freedom.

On Wednesday last, the outlawed People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK)’s Central Committee sent out a press release regarding its Raising Day celebrations. Later in the night, another faction of the outfit imposed a ban on the publication of the release. The ban came with the threat that all media offices will be attacked, and editors and journalists will be shot at sight “in office or at home or at anywhere else.”

While pressure on the media from both state and non-state forces is not a new thing in conflict torn Manipur, the recent crisis came close on the heels of two other similar attacks on press freedom by the same outfit within the span of the last three months.

In July this year, the outfit had placed a bomb at the office of the Sangai Express daily over the question of publication of each other faction’s press releases. Again in September last week, media houses in Imphal had to face the same problem despite earlier assurances from the putfit that it wouldn’t interfere in the freedom and working of the press.

A daylong general body meeting of the All Manipur Working Journalists Union (AMWJU) held under tight security at the Manipur Press Club on October 12 last had earlier decided to close down all media publication for an indefinite time “until a more secure environment is reached” was reached. A sit-in-protest was also held at the Press Club premises yesterday condemning the threat and asking for a written assurance of non-interference from both factions of the outfit.

The assurance as well as an apology was issued by both sides of the outfit late this afternoon, and work at the media houses would be resumed from tomorrow.

At least five journalists have been killed since 1993, while many others have been abducted and/or threatened during the last few years. Recent episodes that have gained international condemnation had been the life attempt in February 2006 on Ratan Luwangcha, then general secretary of AMWJU and bureau chief of the largest selling vernacular daily Poknapham, kidnapping of six editors by an underground group in April 2006 with the demand that their press release be published in toto, and the attempted bombing of the Sangai Express office in July 2007.