Military limits media coverage in Aceh<\/p>\n
Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The martial law administration in Aceh has moved to tighten
\ncontrol over media reporting on the current military operation in
\nthe troubled province with defiant journalists facing the threat
\nof expulsion from the area.<\/p>\n
In new regulations on press coverage issued on Friday,
\nauthorities in Aceh banned the press from publishing the names of
\nplaces where government troops were positioned, military maps or
\nsketches, and the names of aircraft and ships used during
\noffensive operations.<\/p>\n
The military also required field reporters to record all
\ninterviews with soldiers in the field, including interviews with
\nAir Force pilots, and marines, and "journalists can only publish
\nor broadcast excerpts of the interviews after the missions in
\nquestion have been carried out."<\/p>\n
Aceh Military Operation spokesman Lt. Col. A. Yani Basuki
\nstressed on Friday that the military authorities had the right to
\nexpel journalists violating the regulations.<\/p>\n
"The new regulations are aimed at saving the lives of soldiers
\nand journalists covering the war in Aceh. Should journalists
\nviolate the regulations, they will be expelled from the
\nprovince," Yani told reporters in Lhokseumawe.<\/p>\n
The new regulations come after a TVRI cameraman, Jamaluddin,
\nwas found dead on Tuesday, almost one month after he went
\nmissing.<\/p>\n
Military authorities are also trying to persuade American
\nfreelance journalist William Nessen to leave the Free Aceh
\nMovement (GAM) rebel group, ostensibly to avoid him being hit
\nduring military operations.
\n Nessen, a 46-year-old New York City native, said he was in
\nAceh to report on the latest military offensive to crush the Free
\nAceh Movement. More than 200 people have died in the fighting
\nsince the operation began on May 19.<\/p>\n
Nessen said he was there to gather information for a book and
\na documentary on Aceh. He added that he had not published stories
\nor photographs on the conflict for some time because he had lost
\nhis laptop and other possessions.<\/p>\n
The new guidelines also ban the press from disseminating
\nmilitary codewords and require TV cameramen to turn off their
\nlighting equipment during night operations, unless the commander
\nof the military unit allows them to keep it on.<\/p>\n
At the beginning of the operation, the military leadership
\nappealed to the press to take the national interest into account
\nwhen reporting on the military campaign in Aceh, where GAM rebels
\nhave been fighting for independence for the resource-rich
\nprovince since 1976. Over 10,000 people, mostly civilians, have
\nbeen killed since then.<\/p>\n
TNI headquarters recently said that it would change its
\nstrategy so as to intensify night operations in Aceh in an
\nattempt, so the military says, to curb the number of civilian
\ncasualties.<\/p>\n
The military has been criticized for using sophisticated F-16
\njet fighters to drop bombs and rockets on rebel positions.<\/p>\n
Strong criticism also came from the British after the military
\nused British-made Hawks to drop subsonic bombs that exploded over
\ncivilian-populated areas.<\/p>\n
"The press is also prohibited from disclosing intelligence
\ninformation on the military's technical activities and tactics,
\ninternal procedures, latest operations, and enemy propaganda,"
\nYani said, referring to the Free Aceh Movement.<\/p>\n
Despite severe restrictions, journalists may report rough
\napproximations of the military's strength and the identities of
\nthe military units involved in individual operations "if this
\ndoes not jeopardize the operations."<\/p>\n
"Journalists also are allowed to disclose the existence of
\nenemy camps that have been targeted by the military," Yani said,
\nas quoted by Antara. Protest -- Page 3<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/military-limits-media-coverage-in-aceh-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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