“Such a move will deprive a large section of the media of the access to information. [break]
The FNJ demands that the government rectify such a move that restricts media´s access to information,” reads a statement issued by FNJ on Thursday.
Laxmi Bilas Koirala, director general at the department of information, had recently said that the Chinese officials have requested Nepal to allow only a few journalists to cover the visit in a “well-managed way”.
However the government officials said no such a decision has been taken so far.
“Journalists were only informed about the government plan to manage the media during the visit. We will again discuss the issue with journalists and take decisions,” said Hemraj Bhusal, spokesperson at the Ministry of Information and Communications.
He said the government will see how many Chinese journalists will accompany their premier and fix the number of Nepali journalists accordingly. “An equal number of journalists from Nepal could be allowed to cover the news,” Bhusal said.
But he added that the government has made up the mind to allow only three journalists in the frontline when Wen lands at the Tribhuvan International Airport (TIA).
According to him, journalists to cover the event should follow certain dress codes and will be given identity cards.
Sources say Chinese officials have been continuously exerting pressure on their Nepali counterparts to allow only a few journalists to cover the event. “It is a sensitive issue. It is an issue of diplomacy. So we cannot ignore the pressure from the Chinese side,” said a government official.
Related story
Govt continues sugar import restriction until mid-July
