Nepal reins in private radio channels
 

Kathmandu, Feb 5

Nepal's new government has asked all the private radio stations in the
country to stop broadcasting anything other than entertainment programmes.

The government told the vast network of private radio channels not to
broadcast news, views, reports and opinions.

The move comes in the wake of King Gyanendra dismissing the Sher Bahadur
Deuba government Tuesday, declaring emergency and announcing that "crimes
against the nation" committed by the Maoists would be dealt with firmly.

It was not immediately clear if the order also covered public announcements.

The order will leave a void for thousands of listeners who had grown used to
their daily doses of news and discussions on current issues as diverse as
whether Nepal should hold beauty pageants to the woes of Nepalese workers
seeking jobs abroad at the hands of unscrupulous brokers.

However, newly appointed Nepalese Information and Communications Minister
Tanka Dhakal has reportedly said communication curbs would be eased soon.

Private radio channels blossomed in Nepal after the government opened the
sector to private operators including national as well as regional and
community-based stations.

Shops tuned in to radio stations for the latest news, cruising taxis
switched on to the FM stations and, during times of unrest created by the
Maoist insurgents, people nationwide tuned into their favourite radio
stations to find out if there was a curfew, a transport shutdown, a general
closure.


Indo-Asian News Service
http://www.newkerala.com/news-daily/...lnews&id=68744