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Nepal Officials Attempt to Halt FM Radio Station Transmission

Posted on: Friday, 21 October 2005, 12:00 CDT

Text of report by Nepalese radio Kantipur FM on 21 October

[Presenter] Accusing Kantipur FM of defying the government's new media ordinance, the government posted security personnel around the premises of the FM station. Three officials from the Ministry of Information and Communication entered the Kantipur FM station, initially saying they were there to inspect the technical aspects of the radio station, but later directed the management of the radio station to close down the eastern transmission of Kantipur FM station. The management of Kantipur FM told the officials that they were broadcasting according to the permission given to the station by the government and that they would not stop their broadcast. Following the incident, the government sent security personnel to the radio station around 5.30 p.m. [1145 gmt] and surrounded it.

Government officials came to the station at 3.00 p.m. and said they were there to inspect the radio station. When asked by the management of the radio station to produce a letter for the inspection, the government officials claimed that they had sent the letter yesterday. However, the FM station has so far not received any letter from the Ministry of Information and Communications.

The officials from the ministry told the management of Kantipur FM and Kantipur Publications that they had been sent to stop the eastern regional transmission station in Bhedetar.

The management of Kantipur FM has said that the radio station has not done anything illegal and have been broadcasting in the eastern region for many years. The management also advised the government officials to take legal action following which the situation has been tense. However, the government looks determined to stop the eastern regional broadcast of Kantipur FM station by placing security personnel around the radio station.

Officials of the Federation of Nepalese Journalists and representatives of the Nepal Br Association visited the radio station to study the situation. The journalists' federation and the Nepal Bar Association have condemned the government action. The secretary of the Nepal Bar Association, Madhav Baskota, has said, at a time when the Supreme Court has called on the government to discuss the media ordinance to decide on an interim order, the government's action was a clear violation of the rule of law. He said the government action was an act of terrorism against the media.

Source: BBC Monitoring South Asia

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