PANEL INVESTIGATES ABDUCTION OF NEPALESE
JOURNALIST
Courtesy of Peter's New York
21 November 2007
Kathmandu , Nepal
FNJ
organizes press conference
Federation of Nepali Journalists
(FNJ) organized a press conference to make public the report of the
Federation's mission team at Mahendranagar.
The
mission team went to Mahendranagar on 17 November for on-site
monitoring of the abducted journalist Prakash Singh Thakuri who went
missing from his rented house at Mahendranagar since 5 July.
The report from the mission team
states that Maoist
aligned Young Communist League's, YCL; cadres are involved in the
abduction. The report says, "Maoists are making the incident more
suspicious by denying their involvement in the incident."
Tekendra Bhatta, Maoist's
assistant in-charge of Kanchanpur said that his party received the
information that journalist Thakuri was close to the royal palace and
he was initiating anti-Maoist activities. Similarly, YCL cadre Pomlal
Sharma in his statement to the police has said that Thakuri's abduction
was instructed by Prem, Seti-Mahakali coordinator of Maoist, and Sharma
himself had shown Thakuri's rented room to other YCL cadres, according
to the mission report.
The
mission team collected various information regarding the incident
through meetings and discussions with eye witnesses, Thakuri's wife
Janaki, his relatives, suspects of the incidents who are under police
control, media persons, leaders of political parties, chief district
officer, police chief and leaders of Maoist party.
Speaking
at the conference, FNJ president Bishnu Nisthuri condemned the
incident. He urged the Maoist party to take the responsibility and
public his condition. Nisthuri said, "The state of impunity should end
in the nation." He said it is a serious crime against human rights to
abduct and keep secret the whereabouts of a journalist.
The mission team comprised of FNJ
vice president D.R Panta and FNJ central committee members Ramesh Bista
and Purna Basnet.
Pradeep Kaphle
President