Of two-teethed communist
This is not once. We have repeated several requests to them, yet their manner has not changed over the time. Their biggest slogan is for joint action against the government brutality but their actins target general refugees who have been the victims of brutality, terming them to be spies.
Cadres of the Communist Party of Bhutan (Marxist Leninist Maoist) threatened to kill associate editor of Bhutan News Service Ichha Poudel on Friday, May 16.
Poudel who was invited to a program organized by party’s student wing in Beldangi I Bhutanese refugee camp was threatened for his life alleging him of recording the speech delivered in the function and taking pictures.
Poudel said he had only mobile phone, not either voice recorder or camera.
The party cadres forcefully pulled him to stage and asked him to clarify his intention. After Poudel identified himself as journalists associated with Bhutan News Service, he was again thrashed out of stage alleging him of confiscating the microphone without authority.
When he came out of the program, the communist cadres followed him. Fearing insecurity, he lived with relatives in another camp.
The communist cadres also threatened to take ‘stern action’ against Arjun Pradhan, local reporter for Bhutan News Service. Pradhan also attended the function along Poudel.
Several cadres reached the residents of Pradhan and Poudel in the evening that threatening the family members. Both the journalists have been displaced from their workplace after the incident.
The only action that we do for them is to stop giving space to their news. But our struggle will continue not only with the RGOB but with these kinds of element that obstruct struggle for press freedom.