Most FM radio stations in Nepal have stopped transmitting news following a ban under the press ordinance introduced by King Gynendra.

The Hindu newspaper reports that most FM radio stations in Nepal stopped transmitting news from today following the ban though some continued to air soft news programmes despite government threat of stern action against those defying the order.

The Information and Communication Ministry summoned representatives of about a dozen FM stations in Kathmandu yesterday and asked them to follow the media ordinance, which bans news transmission by FM channels. On Friday, police raided the popular Kantipur FM and seized some key equipments.

UN Resident Representative Mathew Kahane, expressed concern over the raid and the introduction of the restrictive media ordinance.

“We are very concerned with the attack on media by government,” he said at a function marking the 60th anniversary of the UN and the opening of a UNDP regional office in Nepalgunj in mid-west Nepal, which lies in the Maoist-affected areas.

A forum of six professional bodies, including Nepal University Teachers Association, Nepal Bar Association and Nepal Medical Association has also condemned Friday’s raid and demanded the withdrawal of the press ordinance.

In a statement, its Chairman Bhupati Dhakal, demanded that the government return the equipment taken away from the FM station and asked all to launch an agitation against the government’s “authoritarian” rule.