Covering both sides a tough challenge in Aceh war

Covering both sides a tough challenge in Aceh war

The Jakarta Post, Lhokseumawe, Aceh

Covering a war anywhere in the world always exposes a journalist
to the risks of compromising the basic principle of impartiality
for his or her own safety.

After a few days on assignment in war-torn Aceh, a number of
reporters, both from the print and the electronic media, claimed
they had to cope with intimidation from both the military and
Free Aceh Movement (GAM) separatists.

Local Aceh daily Serambi Indonesia became the first media to
be instructed by the martial law administrator not to print
statements from GAM, accusing the rebels of distorting the facts.

The military has also considered curbs on media coverage amid
rumors of expulsion of foreign journalists from the province.

Aceh military commander Maj. Gen. Endang Suwarya said rules on
press coverage would soon be issued, adding that journalists
covering the conflict would have to be accredited with the
provincial military command.

"I want all news published to contain the spirit of
nationalism. Put the interests of the unitary state of Indonesia
first. Don't blow up the news from GAM," he said.

Under martial law, the military possesses excessive powers,
including the authority to impose a news black-out.

Another day, reporters from Jakarta-based private television
channel Metro TV were given a verbal reprimand by a military
officer because of their footage displaying a group of people
wearing GAM symbols who were helping local residents extinguish a
fire at a school in Bireuen. The officer also threatened to expel
them from Aceh if such a footage appeared again.

The reporters argued they had no prejudice when a group of
people claiming to be GAM members stopped them and directed them
to a school building which was being razed by fire.

"But the officer turned a blind eye to the situation we had
faced on the ground," one of the TV crew said.

Being embedded with the military has ironically posed a matter
of safety to some journalists.

Apart from having no access to independent sources, those
journalists have found themselves the target of GAM, mainly due
to their proximity to the military.

To their surprise, the rebels have the list of 54 journalists
who are embedded with the military after undergoing a four-day
drill in the Sangga Buana training camp belonging to Army
Strategic Reserve Command in the West Java town of Purwakarta.

One of the journalists, who works for state-owned channel
TVRI, told The Jakarta Post she had just been taken by a group of
GAM members for interrogation when she was covering an arson
attack on a school building in Bireuen on Monday.

"I was so frightened and tried to convince them that I was not
part of the embedded journalists. Thank God the rebels released
me even though they initially threatened to detain me," she
said.

Another embedded journalist was evacuated by the military to
another hotel in Banda Aceh following information that GAM rebels
were looking for her.

The GAM commander in North Aceh, Abu Jamaika, said there had
been no order from the group's top brass to intimidate
journalists, whoever they were.

He said GAM respected journalists, who he said were bound to
carry out a check and balance function amid the military's
propaganda.