By Monitor team
June 23, 2003
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Police yesterday closed a Soroti-based radio station that defied a minister’s directive not to broadcast news about LRA rebel attacks in the area. Radio Kyoga Veritas FM had gone off air by 3 p.m. after it was stormed by police officers and Soroti Resident District Commissioner, Mr Edward Masiga. Armed policemen and security operatives in plain clothes accompanied the Soroti District Police Commander (DPC) Patrick Awai and Regional CID officer Vincent Aisu to the station. The station is located within the premises of Soroti Catholic Diocese Integrated Development Organisation (SCDIO), about half a kilometre on the Soroti-Serere road. For several hours, no one was allowed to enter or leave the SCDIO premises. All the people, including Soroti Catholic Bishop Erasmus Wandera were only allowed to leave at 6 p.m. Mr Awai said on phone that the security operatives were carrying out a security search. The search is to continue this morning, the police said. Upon coming out of the station yesterday Fr Athanasius Mubiru, a Catholic priest linked to the station, said that the security people took away 25 videotapes bearing testimonies of people affected by the war and the station’s news scripts dating back to 1 January. Fr Mubiru said that he had in the morning met the Army Commander, Maj. Gen.Aronda Nyakairima and other security officials. It was during the morning meeting that he was informed that the station would be "inspected". Lies or the truth? Bishop Wandera yesterday held a meeting with the Minister of State for Defence, Ruth Nankabirwa, in Soroti but no details were available. The Monitor could not readily establish the official reason for closing the station, but sources in Soroti said that the office of the RDC had recently wanted to "edit" the radio station’s war reports before they are aired. This request was reportedly not fully complied with. It is said that Fr Mubiru has been recording voices of civilians affected by the war and then having them aired. The station, sources said, was perceived by the authorities as "alarming" the population. Fr Mubiru denied this yesterday. “The whole gist of this inspection is that they have been saying that we have been putting on air sensational news,” Fr Mubiru said. “But we have not. What the people of Teso need is the truth, it is only the truth which will solve this war situation. Lies will not.” Veritas FM has been reaching about 14 districts, including those affected by the rebel insurgency. At a security meeting in Soroti last Tuesday, the Minister of State for Refugees and Disaster Preparedness Christine Amongin "banned" Soroti radio stations from airing news about attacks by the LRA rebels. Fr Mubiru told the minister that what people needed were not condoms and food, but security that is supposed to be guaranteed by the UPDF. This is not the first time that the media is punished for reporting the Kony-led insurgency. The UPDF, police and military intelligence personnel on 10 October 2002 ransacked The Monitor offices and shut down the paper for seven days over its coverage of the war up north. Civilians flee The Monitor yesterday morning interviewed terrified civilians who continued fleeing from their villages into Soroti town. From Soroti to Akakai, a six-kilometre column of people with bits and pieces of luggage and livestock was seen walking towards Soroti town. One of the younger boys interviewed reported that a group of rebels taunted a UPDF unit at Akissim, near the home of Soroti County MP, Samuel Anyoro. He that said the army later shelled the rebel positions. Funeral raid The LRA had on Friday disrupted the funeral of the late Kapelebyong intelligence officer Mr Moses Amou at Oditel village in Katakwi. Kapelebyong MP, Johnson Malinga who visited the area on Saturday told The Monitor yesterday that among those abducted were the deceased's relatives who include his brother, Mr Michael Amou and his wife Ms Achen. Also abducted but later released was the deceased’s elderly mother. Malinga said that the rebels also reportedly abducted some children aged between 10 and 14, which is their favourite age group for recruitment. The LRA shot Amou dead on 18 June as he was driving with Fr Boguslow Zero, the parish priest for Acumet. The LRA on Saturday night attacked Odudui trading centre killing two people, burning 35 houses and looting drugs from the health centre. UPDF response The rebels are reportedly camped in Amuria County, from where the UPDF was yesterday fighting to repulse them. Between 9 and 10 a.m. yesterday, truckloads of soldiers were seen driving down the Soroti-Moroto roads towards Wera sub-county. An hour later attack helicopters took to the air, in the general direction of Amuria. The UPDF yesterday closed the road from Soroti to Lira reportedly because of suspected rebel activity. A Lira-bound bus was forced to return to Lira at Atirir, 17km from Soroti. The Monitor learnt that security suspected rebels were trying to cross from Orungo to Otuboi sub-county. -- |
© 2003 The Monitor Publications
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