Courts told to free RI, Thai journalists<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
A group of journalist associations has stepped up the pressure on
\nIndonesia and Thailand to free several journalists being tried in
\nthe two countries for defamation.<\/p>\n
Journalist Bambang Harymurti is being tried in Jakarta, while
\nresearcher Supinya Klangnarong and several journalists from the
\ndaily Thai Post are on trial in Bangkok.<\/p>\n
The call for the journalists' release comes as courts in the
\ntwo countries prepare to announce their decisions in the
\njournalists' cases on Monday.<\/p>\n
Spearheaded by the London-based Article 19, the associations
\nsaid in a joint statement the civil and defamation charges
\nagainst Bambang, Supinya and the Thai Post journalists,
\nparticularly where there was a threat of imprisonment,
\nrepresented a breach of freedom of expression.<\/p>\n
\"The charges send a negative message to all journalists and
\nmedia organizations, exerting a chilling effect on freedom of
\nexpression and undermining the ability of the media to fulfill
\nits role as watchdog of the government and the powerful
\nestablishment,\" said the group in a statement released on
\nSaturday.<\/p>\n
Members of the group include Article 19, a non-governmental
\norganization focusing on freedom of expression, the Jakarta-based
\nInstitute for Studies on the Free Flow of Information and the
\nThai Broadcast Journalist Association.<\/p>\n
In Indonesia, prominent journalist Bambang Harymurti, the
\nchief editor of Tempo weekly magazine, will hear on Monday the
\ncourt's verdict in his defamation case. The charge was filed
\nagainst him by businessman Tomy Winata.<\/p>\n
Prosecutors have demanded Bambang be sentenced to two years in
\njail for causing social unrest and defaming Tomy.<\/p>\n
The district court will also hand down verdicts for two other
\nTempo journalists, Ahmad Taufik and Tengku Iskandar Ali, who have
\nalso been charged with defamation.<\/p>\n
The charges against the three journalists stem from an article
\npublished last year in Tempo magazine, titled Is Tomy in
\nTenabang? The article implied that Tomy was connected to a
\ndevastating fire that destroyed much of the Tanah Abang textile
\nmarket in February 2003.<\/p>\n
In Thailand, Supinya, the secretary-general of the Campaign
\nfor Popular Media Reform, and several Thai Post journalists were
\nalso brought to court after the daily ran a story on July 16 last
\nyear suggesting that a company linked to Prime Minister Thaksin
\nSinawatra was the beneficiary of Thaksin's policies. The article
\nnoted a sharp rise in the company's profits since Sinawatra took
\noffice in February 2001.<\/p>\n
The company, Shin Corp., Thailand's largest telecommunications
\ncompany, whose main shareholder is the Sinawatra family, filed a
\ndefamation suit against Supinya and the Thai Post journalists,
\nseeking monetary compensation from the defendants.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/courts-told-to-free-ri-thai-journalists-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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