MUSCAT(Oman) 31 May: In a historic move, a new regional organisation of Asia and Pacific countries known as Federation of Asia Pacific Journalists(FAPaJ) has been formed today in inaugural session of International Federation of Journalists(IFJ)’s 31st World Congress which is being held in Muscat organised by Oman Journalists Association(OJA).
Indian journalists Union(IJU) Secretary General Cum IFJ Vice President Sabina Inderjit has been elected as FAPaJ president with a thumping majority. Sabina defeated Leigh Tonkin of Australia with 54 votes out of 71 votes. Leigh could manage only 16 votes.
Salim Al Jahwari of OJA elected as Vice President FAPaJ unopposed. While Mohmammed Alhammadi, Ali Youssef, Mousa Abdul Nour as members from Western Asia and Jonathan De Santos of Philippine as Eastern Asia and Badri Seidel of Nepal as Southern Asia, while Chin Sung Chew reserved members.
FAPaJ a regional organisation of IFJ which comprised five regions of Asia and Pacific region which did not earlier have a common platform.
IJU secretary Sabina has been instrumental in forming FAPaJ. She played a key role in the Assembling the region by organising consultations over having a region which she led at the IFJ executive committee in Taiwan. She also played a leading role in drafting and discussion by the IFJ leadership of the FAPaJ constitution.
“ I am very happy that the long struggle over the years has culminated finally by the formation of FAPaJ” she said.
“IJU has been demanding such a regional body for many years. Now with a 10 members Council, there are bigger challenges ahead to ensure FAPaJ develops into a stronger and vibrant regional body of IFJ” she added.
The Arunachal Pradesh Union of Working Journalists(APUWJ) president Amar Sangno was a member of proceedings which was presided by IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger along with IFJ Director Jane Worthington.
Earlier, IFJ unanimously adopted many resolutions including the blocking and shutting down of the Internet , an amount of censorship and highly censorship or control of online space which was moved by IJU president Geetartha Pathak.
The IFJ also resolved to condemn killing of Palestinian journalist Shiren Abu Aqla who was killed by Israeli force recently.
