Government, media impasse unresolved in Manipur

Imphal, Aug 11 (UNI) The Manipur government and All Manipur Working Journalists Union (AMWJU) continued to lock horns over the matter of issuance of an order by the state home department to stop all the publications related to insurgency movement in the state.

The State Cabinet, which met last evening, also decided to go ahead with the order, issued earlier by the state Home Department, ignoring the AMWJU's request to cancel the order.

The order issued by the Principal Secretary (Home) had stated that the media should not publish any news item issued by the underground outfits.

Notably, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and New York based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) had extended their support to the Manipur media.

The statement, issued by the IFJ had stated, '' it is alarming to learn that an adverse situation for media workers in the India's North-Eastern state of Manipur, has turned markedly worse in the space of a mere week.'' '' By all credible accounts, this had happened on account of militant groups, operating in Manipur and retaliatory action by state authorities,'' it added.

The IFJ also condemned the July 31 incident in Imphal, in which a newspaper office received a live mortar shell, gift-wrapped, as a warning to stay away from publishing reports on certain armed insurgent groups in the state.

The IFJ called upon the concerned militant group to respond to the demand of the journalists and stop targeting the media.

UNI