Samacharpatra closure
The Kathmandu Post's editorial has the following Editorial Article: (with due acknowledgements to eKantipur.com). Read the following article. Pokhara.com and Himalayan Travel Journal Publications agree with Kantipur Publication's article on recent closure of Samacharpatra. At the outset in official press conference, Mr. Information Minister told to the news media that he was unaware of the closure of Samacharpatra. Under Maoist exclusive rule, you will certainly find all these news papers and Nepali .com journals running from Nepal will be closed, and it is an indication towards that goal. YCL is not for us, and it is for Maoist leadership. Thats it. Thanks. --Pokhara.com
Samacharpatra closure
Nepal Samacharpatra, a national daily, has suspended its publication for the time being since Wednesday. Its sister publication- Mahanagar- was closed on Tuesday itself. The management of these newspapers has said it was forced to take the harsh decision following the obstructions by the hawkers. This is for the first time that a mainstream national daily has gone out of operation due to rift between the workers and the management. Since continuity is the credibility of a newspaper, this disruption is a huge blow not only to Samacharpatra but also to the free media in Nepal. Even during the draconian rule of King Gyanendra, which tried to gag the independent media, no daily newspaper went out of print for a single day. The closure of Samacharpatra should, therefore, be taken seriously by the media fraternity, civil society and the political parties.
The circumstance under which these two newspapers have been forced to shut down is dubious. Samacharpatra had outsourced its distribution to Customers Solution Pvt Limited. The hawkers, who were actually employees of Customers Solution, created obstructions demanding formation of a trade union in Kamana Prakashan Samuha, the publisher of Samacharpatra. Trade union is the right of employees ensured by the law and no management can - and should - try to trample the right of the workers. But how come the employees of one company demand to form a trade union in another company? The fact that the hawkers are trying to form All Nepal Communication Press and Publications Trade Union, which is affiliated to CPN (Maoist), raises many questions. Is this the tactic of the Maoists to arm-twist the independent media? Are they trying to send a message to the independent media houses that criticism against them will invite dire consequences? Are the Maoists, who have faced the wrath of the media in recent days, making a strategic but indirect move, to cow them into submission?
Minister for Information and Communications Krishna Bahadur Mahara's comment that "it is an issue to be sorted out between the management and the workers" lends credence to the suspicion that it could be a tactical move of the Maoists. Any media house or an industry is obliged to talk and negotiate with its workers but not with someone who are not even its employees. So, the obstruction by hawkers at Kamana Prakashan is not an issue between the management and the employees. If the Maoists think that they can silence growing media criticism against them by encouraging their trade union to take on the media, this is a strategy completely wrong-headed and could be counter-productive in the long run. The Maoists should not forget that Nepal's media has already demonstrated adequate fighting spirit to defend its freedom.
- admin's blog
- Login or register to post comments
United we Stand. Support Kamana Publishing house.
From Sajha.com, with due acknowledgements.
Salman writes: I admire the guts of Kamana Publishing House to stand for freedom of press, not letting Maoists form their association.
If media houses do not stay as one, each one will fall like dominoes.
http://newsofnepal.com/kps/index_new.php
http://www.kantipuronline.com/kolnews.php?&nid=113318
http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2007/jun/jun21/news01.php
http://www.mediaforfreedom.com/ReadArticle.asp?ArticleID=707
http://www.bbc.co.uk/nepali/news/story/2007/06/070620_samachar_patra.shtml
http://www.zeenews.com/znnew/articles.asp?aid=378135&sid=SAS
Press Release - 19th June 2007
To all Concerned Press Freedom Related Organizations
Today the distributors associated with Customers Solutions Pvt. Ltd,
distribution contractor of Kamana Publication. padlocked the publication
and distribution of "Nepal Samacharpatra National Daily" in the central
district of Kathmandu. These distributors are associated with Maoists
affiliated Nepal Publication and Communication Labour Association. They
started the strike after making several unrealistic demands to the
publication.
Similarly, they also stopped the publication of Mahanagar Evening Daily
and since morning they have been obstructing the day to day operation of
the publication due to the sit-in at the central publication house.
We feel that this is attack to the Independent Press. Nepal
Samacharpatra National Daily has always been defender of free, fair and
independent press in Nepal. We have time and again tried to resolve the
issue through dialogue but the Maoists affiliated Nepal Publication and
Communication Labour Association has never been serious in resolving the
issue rather they have time and again creating obstruction on our day to
day operation. They had already stopped the publication of Nepal
Samacharpatra National Daily on 25th May 2007 and time and again they have
been creating obstruction in distribution of our publications.
In addition to that, they have been continuously threatening to our
Executive Chairman and Editor-in-chief Mr. Pushkar Lal Shrestha & Manager
Mr. Kailash Pradhan. So we seriously doubt this move of Maoists affiliated
Trade Union as mission to control the independent press through the
instrument of the Trade Union.
We request government and all concerned press freedom related
organizations to ensure safety and security of all our staff and strongly
demand for fearless environment for day to day operation of our
publication.
Thanking You
The Management
Kamana Publication Pvt. Ltd.
Soltimode, Kathmand
Nepal
Tel: 00977 1 4287777
Email:samacharpatra@yahoo.com
Read the following article:
NepaliTimes June 22, 2007 issue:
http://nepalitimes.com/issue/354/Headline/13647
RahulVai Writes on SPatra closure
With due acknowledgement to RahulBahi:
अब पुष्कर लाल को हुन्, उनको प्रिष्ठभूमि के हो भनेर खोतल्ने हो भने त लामो फेरिहस्त नै लेख्नु पर्ला। पत्रकार होइनन् रे पनि ठुलो मेडिया हाउसको हर्ता कर्ता मात्र होइनन्, प्रधान् सम्पादक हुन्। ज्ञानेको अन्तर्वार्ता लिने शौभाग्य पाएका पुष्कर लाल् लाइ चान्चुन मान्नु भएन।
अब पत्रिका जो बन्द भयो यस भित्र अनेक कारण हुन सक्छ। पहिलो कुरा त समचार पत्र निकै घाटामा चलेको पत्रिका हुन्। माइ बाप ज्ञानेबाट पैसा झरेन। बन्द गर्नै पर्ने भो।
दोस्रो, पुष्कर् र उन्को परिवारको बिगत र बर्तमान लाई अनुसन्धान गर्ने भए सीताराम् प्रसाईंले के गरेका थिए र वाइ सी एल रे झ्याईंकुटि गर्नको लागि? सीता रामका बाप हुन् उनी। तर पनि वाइ सी एल सङ चन्दाको धन्दा मा कुरा मिलुन्जेल सङै एकै थालमा खाए।
मिडिया र पत्रकारिताको बिकास खमेरुज को कम्बोडियामा भएको थियो र अब प्रचण्ड ( क्रिष्ण बहादुर महरा)को नेपाल मा हुनको लागि? न माओको चिनमा थिए न अहिले को चिन मा छन्। मेडिया त के कुरा आम जनतालाई ब्रेडको लोभ देखाएर कैद गर्ने छन्। इतिहासले देखाएको कुरा हो। पोल्पोटका नयाँ संस्करणहरुको हरेको क्रियाकलाप् ले कम्बोडिया को मनव कंकालको कहालीलाग्दो म्युजियमको शाखा नेपालमै शिघ्र खोल्दै छन्।
त्यसैले क्रमश: मेडिया को अबसान स्वाभाबिक छ। फेरि पनि एउटै रातो अखबार् मात्र छापिने छन्, रातो रेडियो बोल्ने छन अनि रातै टेलिभिजन भरि खाकि ड्रेसमा रातो तारा झल्किने छन्। भोलिको रक्तिम नेपाल् को तस्बीर यहि हो। बुझ्नेलाई श्रीखण्ड न बुझ्नेलाई खुर्पाको बींड।
Salman writes (with due acknowledgement to Salman):
efore Maoists existed in Nepal, Congress labeled Nepal Samacharpatra as a Communist Newspaper (UML).
After Maoists Came, Sher Bahadur Deuba labeled Nepal Samacharpatra as a Maoists Newspaper.
After King Came, Kantipur labeled Nepal Samacharpatra Durbariya newspaper.
In fact, this is the only neutral newspaper that ever existed in Nepal.
During Loktantra movement. Gorkhapatra was all the way to the right. Kantipur was all the way to the left. Nepal Samacharpatra was the only newspaper that stayed neutral.
A newspaper's job is always to stay neutral and report the facts without bending, fabricating and distorting truth. Its job is to let people decide by writing what they see.
About Kamana Group running in loss. Who says so? It has been employing over 300 - 500 employees for many many years.
A wise person will never use money from their pocket to run business. They will use loan and credit from bank.
Which businessperson in Nepal is running their business with their pocket money?
Has any bank blacklisted Kamana Group yet? If banks are happy and have no problem, why this non sense propaganda?
If you are too young to know Kamana's 24 years history, consult with your dad, mom, uncle or aunts. You cannot start history from whenever you want.
See the bigger problem. Maoists are trying to control all the media houses. Do you know what that means?
Open Your Eyes.
Rahul rewrites: (with due acknowledgement to RahulVai):
हसायो सलमान ले हसायो। कामना प्रकाशनको जागिरे ले पनि यति प्रतिरक्षा गर्दैनन्। पुष्करलाल् कै ठिमाह छोराले पनि यति बिघ्न समर्थन् गर्दैन जो सल्मान् ले गर्दै छन्।
कस्ले कहिले UML र माओबादिको पत्रिका भने? कुनै आधार् छ? कुनै प्रमाण छ?
जन्मिदा देखि नै ज्ञानेको पैसाले चलेको थियो, अहिले पनि चल्दै छ।
सारा नेपाली प्रेस जगत लोकतन्त्रको पक्षमा आन्दोलित भएको बखत राजाको भजन गाउने पत्रिका न्युट्रल हुन्छ? पार्टिको समर्थन नगर्नु बेशै हो तर यसको अर्थ जनताको बिद्रोहलाई पार्टिले हाक्दा तिनै पार्टि र बहुदलिय ब्यबस्थालाई सत्तो सराप्नु न्युट्रलहो? वा रे सल्मान्, वा, बिबेकमा बिर्को लागे सि यस्तै हो बौलाउछन् मान्छेहरु।
कुन चाहि अंकमा जनाअन्दोलन को समर्थन गरेको छ? लुकेर बसेका मन्डले मुसाहरुको भजन बाहेक के छाप्यौ?
About Kamana Group running in loss. Who says so? It has been employing over 300 - 500 employees for many many years.
A wise person will never use money from their pocket to run business. They will use loan and credit from bank.
Which businessperson in Nepal is running their business with their pocket money?
ठिकै हो कुरा त , तर नाफामा भएको हिसाब किताब देखाउन सक्छौ त। कति बिज्ञापन छापिन्छ र कति पत्रिक बिक्री हुन्छ? अन्दाज छ, सलमान्?
पत्रिका को भर भनेको बिज्ञापन हो, नत्र एक् पत्रिका बराबर झन्डै१० रुपैया खर्छ हुन्छ। ४ रु मा बेचेर कति कमाउछौ कि गुमाउछौ?
कान्तिपुर ले ६ हजार् मा न छाप्ने बिज्ञापन म आफैले रु ३ हजार मा छापेको छु। अनि बर्ष भरिको पत्रिका फ्री उपहार् सहित्। यसरि चलेको छ नाफा मा?
घाटा कहाबाट् पूर्ति भै राख्या छ के थाहा सल्मान् जस्ता पाल्तु हरुलाई। पुषकर् लाल् को माइ बाप् ले तिनको भजन गाएको र लोकतन्त्रबादि नेताहरुलाई गाली गरे बापत पाएको हुन्दीको हिसाब के थाह?
बडा प्रति रक्षा गर्दो रैछ।