Aceh-bound reporters get marching orders at boot camp

Aceh-bound reporters get marching orders at boot camp

A'an Suryana, The Jakarta Post, Karawang, West Java

The only danger that most reporters have to face in their daily
routine is getting caught in the crossfire of office politics.
But a real fear of staring down the barrel of a gun prompted some
reporters to sign up for some military training.

They were part of the second batch of reporters who took
military training with the Armed Forces Strategic Reserves
Command (Kostrad) instructors at the Sanggabuana military
training camp in Karawang, West Java, from June 8 to June 11.

The training was a part of the Indonesian Military's (TNI)
embedded program for journalists to cover the ongoing military
operation in Aceh.

A total of 64 journalists, aside from the curiosity to find
out what has really been going on in the restive Nanggroe Aceh
Darussalam, had to sacrifice their sleep due to the tight
schedule during the training.

They had to be ready -- wearing military uniforms including
the boots that can kill the wearers -- at 5 a.m. every morning
during the four-day training from June 8 to June 11.

The "torture" had already begun upon the reporters' arrival at
Sanggabuana camp. The 64 journalists were ordered to duckwalk
(walk in a squatting position) to the complex. The complex itself
is located at the top of a hill and to reach it the journalists
had to climb 225 stairs.

Unlike regular military training where soldiers often face
physical punishment, the journalists only received verbal
lashings and the harsh training schedule.

The training turned out to be a major problem for the
journalists, most of whom never exercise.

Taking place in Sanggabuana jungle, the reporters had to go on
foot to different mountainous sites while at the same time adjust
to the instructors' shouting at them. The habit of shouting back
at editors in the newsroom apparently was not the norm with the
instructors.

Some of the journalists, mostly women, collapsed during the
training. Like it or not, the show must go on and so did the
program. Otherwise, the journalists would not receive a
certificate stating that they had passed the training.

The certificate was another reason why reporters joined the
training as without it they could not cover the ongoing military
operations.

Since martial law was imposed in Aceh, journalists must show
the training certificate to the Aceh martial law administrator
before they start reporting.

One of the instructors, Maj. Zaid, said the strict regimen
would be badly needed by journalists in order to survive in the
middle of the battle.

"The training is tough but it will help you avoid fatalities
in Aceh," he said.

Apart from physical training, reporters were also taught to
use weapons and survive in the jungle.

The latter topic was more interesting as the reporters were
introduced to various edible plants and animals. The journalists
also had to drink snake blood and eat snake and lizard meat
during the training.

"We got new knowledge of survival in a combat zone and we're
grateful for that. However, we will remain objective while
reporting from Aceh," said Arief Suditomo, a news anchor with
SCTV private television station.

An event called jurit malam was another mental test for
reporters as they had to walk one by one into the jungle around
midnight. People said that the hill was "spooky."

Apart from the nationalist indoctrination for journalists, the
main task as members of the press is to cover both sides of the
actual situation.