Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, April 16:
Pointing out that Ireibak daily news-paper's assertion on freedom of press is confusing and tantamount to stiff-neck attitude MEELAL announced boycott of the State daily with immediate effect.
Quoting freedom of press prescribed in the Indian constitution as, 'The right to publish newspapers/magazines and other printed matters without Govt restrictions and subject only to the laws of label, obscenity, sedition etc' MEELAL said request for replacement of Bengali script with Meetei Mayek had never trampled upon freedom of press.
The Ereibak newspaper should keep in mind that the MEELAL approach, as agreed during the AMWJU and Editors' Forum Manipur meeting, should not be interpreted as coercion upon news-paper establishments but a merely insistence to contribute in development of the indigenous script.
Failure to reciprocate positively on the request would be considered as Ereibak daily capitalising on advantages of being news edition but harbouring ill-will against the people's aspiration, said the statement while asking what error had MEELAL committed in insisting reservation of news item in Meetei Mayek as done by other news-papers.