Guwahati: The outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) on Sunday clarified that the outfit did not issue any threat to the media in Assam as alleged by the Brussels-based International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).
"ULFA very much respects freedom of the media. However it would be wrong to take this freedom for granted to make wild, unfounded and biased allegations, which itself is against the ethics of journalism. This is exactly what the NETV (North East Television) did," ULFA chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa said in a statement.
The rebel leader was reacting to a story by IANS datelined Brussels January 31 quoting a statement by IFJ regarding alleged threats by the ULFA to NETV, a private television channel in Assam.
"It is shocking that NETV has been threatened by a militant group for its stories and the government has done nothing about it except criticise the station as well," IFJ general secretary Aidan White said in the statement.
The ULFA said it was not a threat. "ULFA categorically clarifies that the challenge to the NETV is not a 'threat' to the freedom of the media as such, but to uphold healthy journalism. Had not ULFA tolerated freedom of the media on 'stories it does not like' many newspapers in Assam would have stopped business by now.
"The fact that these are still functioning in Assam is sufficient proof of ULFA's respect for freedom of the media," the statement said. The TV channel had on Jan 25 reported that the Assam government paid money to buy peace with the ULFA for smooth conduct of the National Games in Guwahati from February 9-18.
"This (the report) being an absolutely baseless, biased and motivated allegation, ULFA challenged the NETV to substantiate the allegations failing which they should leave Assam or face dire consequences," Rajkhowa said.
The statement said the TV channel had "tried to mislead" by blaming ULFA to have interfered with the freedom of the media by threatening NETV to "withdraw the allegations".
"The fact is ULFA never told NETV to "withdraw" their allegations but only to prove NETV the allegations publicly. This stand still holds," the ULFA statement said.
The Assam government is also contemplating filing a defamation suit against NETV for the alleged bribery charges.
"Now the NETV is saying that their story did not mention anything about money being paid to the ULFA. But we have recordings of the news bulletin where it was alleged that the government paid Rs.50 million to the ULFA to buy peace," Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said on Saturday.
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