MAOIST CHIEF ASSURES INTERNATIONAL MEDIA TEAM OF JOURNALIST PROTECTION

MAOIST CHIEF ASSURES INTERNATIONAL MEDIA MISSION ON SAFETY FR JOURNALISTS
Kathmandu, 26 Feb.: Chairperson of the Unified CPN-Maoist, Pushpa Kamal Dahal has expressed the party's commitment to ensuring the safety of media workers, RSS reports.

Talking to a team of international media fact-finding and advocacy mission at his residence, Lazimpat on Saturday, Chairperson Dahal said the Maoist party was sensitive to press freedom and safety of journalists even during the wartime, informed Dahal's press coordinator Santosh Poudel.

Stating that his party has created favorable environment for journalists to work in an uninterrupted manner, he made it clear that they have not caused any difficulty from their side.

On a query as to whether the freedom of press will be curtailed in the to-be-framed constitution of Nepal, Dahal replied that such situation would not emerge to go for limiting the right, according to the information provided by Poudel.

On the occasion, journalists had also asked queries about the classification of information brought by the government in a way to limit the press freedom some few weeks ago.

In response, Chairperson Dahal said the government had not presumably put forward the agenda with ill intention.

The mission team had demanded the party to create environment so that action could be taken against the murderers of working journalists Birendra Saha of Bara and Prakash Thakuri.

Poudel quoted Prachanda as saying that the Maoist party had already taken action against the murderer of journalist Saha.

The fact-finding mission, which is on a five-day visit to Nepal, is scheduled to take stock of the current situation of press freedom in Nepal by undertaking on-site study in Biratnagar and Janakpur, informed Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ)'s general secretary, Om Sharma.
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PRESIDENT ATTENDS MAHAYAGYA IN CAPITAL
Kathmandu, 26 Feb.: President Dr Ram Baran Yadav attended the
shreemadgopal mahayagya organised on the premises of the Jagatnarayan Temple at Sankhamul on Saturday.

He worshipped in the temple and received prasad.

On the occasion, President Dr Yadav said the mahayagya would bless all Nepalis with peace and prosperity.

The unity among the people from hill, mountain and Tarai can keep the country united, he said, adding that the peace and constitution were for the welfare of the Nepalis.

Jagatguru Swami Mohan Sharan Devacharya informed the President of the mahayagya and conferred a felicitation letter on him.

The mahayagya begun on February 23 would last on March 5.
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