Matek Opoko <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Museveni threatens to ban Monitor, Observer GRACE MATSIKO, HUSSEIN BOGERE & SIMON KASYATE KOLOLO PRESIDENT Yoweri Museveni has threatened to close Ugandan newspapers for allegedly compromising regional security.
Museveni, the chief mourner at yesterdays joint funeral service for the fallen Sudanese Vice President John Garang, his entourage and seven Ugandans, who died in a helicopter crash a week ago in Southern Sudan, said his tolerance of newspaper reports about security matters had worn out. I am the President of Uganda. The people elected me. I therefore have the ultimate mandate to run their affairs, he said.
Now I will no longer tolerate a newspaper which is like a vulture. For them the misery of many is their joy.
His remarks attracted cheers from government and army officers in the pavilion. Any newspaper which plays around with the regional security, I will not tolerate. I will simply close it, the President said.
The national mourning ceremony was held at Kololo Airstrip. Garang, the President of Sudanese Peoples Liberation M ovement (SPLM) and the Sudanese First Vice-President, died in the Ugandan presidential helicopter near New Site. On board were his commanders, Lt. Col. Ali Maxen, Lt. Col. Amat Malual, Maj. Deng Majok, Lt. Juma Mayen, and Capt. Oboki Omor, who all perished.
The Ugandans who died include; Col. Peter Nyakairu, the presidential chief pilot, Maj. Patrick Kiggundu, flight engineer, Capt. Paul Kiyimba, co-pilot, Lt. Johnson Munanura, jet officer, Cpl. Hassan Kiiza, signaller, Ms Lilian Kabaije, presidential airhostess and Mr Sam Bakoowa, the State House protocol officer.
Museveni did not cite any specific case where local newspapers had compromised national or regional security.
But government officials had earlier in the week condemned a local tabloid, The Red Pepper, for reporting that Garang was shot twice in the head by possible hijackers. The same paper had also reported earlier that Rwanda was involved in a plot to bring down the Ugandan presidential chopper in whic h Garang was travelling.
The President did not initially point at the Red Pepper in his assault on the press until the audience shouted out its name.
Instead, he singled out Daily Monitors political editor Andrew Mwenda, who has written some critical analyses of the relations between Uganda and Rwanda. I have been seeing this young man Mwenda writing about Rwanda...he must stop, Museveni said.
He claims he has minutes of SPLM meetings, this meeting, the other, he must stop completely. Daily Monitor on Tuesday published confidential minutes of a stormy SPLM meeting last November/December, at which Garang was attacked by his senior colleagues, for among others, eliminating opponents, promoting nepotism, and treating the Movement like his own property. Museveni then descended on the Weekly Observer, which he blamed for writing about the military. He warned the paper to stop.
After the shouts from the audience: What about Red Pepper? Museveni sa id, Th is Red Pepper, I thought these are confused young boys, dealing with naked girls, now that they have gone into security; they must stop. All newspapers must stop or we shall stop them.
About Daily Monitor, the President added, I have already spoken to Dr Martin Aliker (board chairman of Monitor Publications). If they want to continue doing business in Uganda, they must stop writing on security.
Museveni said newspapers should write about security only after they have consulted the military.
These newspapers must stop or else I shall stop them, he said. Its the least of my problems.
This is not the first time Musevenis government is threatening to close newspapers. On October 10, 2003 the government closed The Monitor for a week, over a story that an army helicopter had crashed in northern Uganda while fighting Joseph Konys Lords Resistance Army (LRA) rebels.__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
http://mail.yahoo.com _______________________________________________
Ugandanet mailing list
Ugandanet@kym.net
http://kym.net/mailman/listinfo/ugandanet
% UGANDANET is generously hosted by INFOCOM http://www.infocom.co.ug/
Do you Yahoo!?
New and Improved Yahoo! Mail - 1GB free storage!
_______________________________________________ Ugandanet mailing list Ugandanet@kym.net http://kym.net/mailman/listinfo/ugandanet % UGANDANET is generously hosted by INFOCOM http://www.infocom.co.ug/
