A Thousand Candles for Five Journalists and Three Crew Members Missing in the Sunda Strait

South Lampung (ANTARA) - Hundreds of journalists in South Lampung Regency, Lampung, lit 1,000 candles accompanied by prayers and reflections as a form of solidarity for five journalists and three crew members who went missing in the waters of the Sunda Strait.

The action was held at the Pancasila Monument, Kalianda District, on Monday (21/9) evening. Journalists gathered to commemorate and pray for the eight individuals whose whereabouts remain unknown.

The Chairman of the PWI (Indonesian Journalists Association) South Lampung, Edwin Apriandi, stated that the action was an expression of grief and an important reminder of the necessity of occupational safety for journalists performing duties in the field.

“I hope that through this 1,000 candles activity, whatever possibilities may occur, and whatever tomorrow may bring, that hope shall never be extinguished,” he said.

He expressed hope that the lighting of 1,000 candles would serve as a symbol of solidarity for the South Lampung press community and as a prayer for the five journalists and three ship crew members who are missing.

The five missing journalists are M. Bagus Khoirunas (ANTARA Banten Bureau), Arie Basuki (Merdeka.com), Yudistiro Pranoto (iNEWS), Firman Daus (Anadolu Agency), and Donald (freelance journalist).

They were on a vessel alongside three crew members: Warta, the ship’s captain; Surakman, a crew member; and Heriyanto, a guide.

A joint SAR team had previously conducted searches for 10 days. However, the search faced obstacles due to strong ocean currents, high waves, and difficult maritime conditions.

Basarnas (National Search and Rescue Agency) officially halted the search operation on Thursday (17/9) evening after maximum search efforts yielded no results.