By IANS
Kathmandu : A popular radio station in Nepal, which had been able to survive the draconian censorship imposed on the media by King Gyanendra’s regime, was forced to close down after Maoists muscled into its office in the capital late Tuesday and padlocked its units.
The Himalayan Broadcasting Corporation (HBC), a popular private radio station that had been on air since 1999, stopped broadcasting from 6 p.m. Tuesday after over five dozen Maoist cadres forced their way past the guards and disrupted its programmes.
“This is not just an attack on an individual radio station,” said Achyut Ghimire, production manager at HBC. “It’s the start of a systematic attack on all FM stations.”
The Maoist move comes after a series of attacks earlier this year targeting three of the biggest newspaper houses – Kantipur Publications, Nepal’s largest media house, Kamana Publications and International Media Network.
The HBC management said the trouble started after a Maoist-affiliated union, Ganatantrik Radiokarmi Manch Nepal, gave an 18-point demand, that among other things, asks for a whopping salary raise and the inclusion of three cadres in the management committee.