'Lampung Post' terrorized<\/p>\n
Oyos Saroso H.N., The Jakarta Post, Bandar Lampung<\/p>\n
Dissatisfied with the Lampung Post daily's coverage of governor
\nelect Alzier Dianis Thabranie, whose inauguration was delayed by
\na corruption case, around 50 supporters of Alzier terrorized the
\nnewspaper's office on Jl. Soekarno-Hatta here on Friday,
\ndemanding a correction.<\/p>\n
The protesters came from the South Lampung and Tanggamus
\nregencies and threatened to bring thousands of people to ransack
\nthe office if the newspaper published stories discrediting the
\ngovernor.<\/p>\n
\"Lampung Post, in its April 10 edition really discredits Pak
\nAlzier. We are ready to die for him. Whoever dares to make absurd
\nstories about him will have to face us and the Lampung people,\"
\nsaid Iskandar, spokesman for the protesters, in a meeting with
\nthe newspaper's editorial staff.<\/p>\n
He accused Lampung Post of treating Alzier as a criminal and
\ndemanded the daily to make a correction on its front page, the
\nsame space where the story in question was printed.<\/p>\n
The daily's edition published a story on the provincial
\npolice, reporting that the police had set up a team to hunt down
\nand arrest Alzier, who has been declared a suspect in a
\ncorruption case.<\/p>\n
The National Police Headquarters in Jakarta has summoned the
\nsuspect three times, but Alzier has failed to show.<\/p>\n
Alzier won the Lampung gubernatorial election on Dec. 10,
\n2002, but President Megawati Soekarnoputri has not yet issued a
\ndecree to swear him in as governor to replace Oemarsono.<\/p>\n
Minister of Home Affairs Hari Sabarno said it was impossible
\nfor the president to install Alzier, because of his status as
\nsuspect in the case.<\/p>\n
Alzier's lawyer Edi Rifai has accused the central government
\nof interfering in the gubernatorial election, because his client
\nwas not a favorite for the governor's post.<\/p>\n
Both Megawati and her Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle
\n(PDI Perjuangan), which she chairs, favored Oemarsono, who ran in
\nthe gubernatorial election for a second term.<\/p>\n
Lampung Post chief editor Djadjat Sudradjat regretted the
\nincident, but said he would not bow down to force.<\/p>\n
He said his reporters had gathered the news from the
\nprovincial police, and that there were no sentences discrediting
\nAlzier.<\/p>\n
He also acknowledged that he had received several threats over
\nthe telephone.<\/p>\n
Managing editor Sabam Sinaga said he would publish a report on
\nthe protesters' objections of the piece, but said it would not be
\na correction of their earlier article.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/lampung-post-terrorized-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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