Journalist groups condemn assault on 'Indo Pos' daily

Journalist groups condemn assault on 'Indo Pos' daily

Abdul Khalik, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Dozens of people barged into Graha Pena, the office of Indo Pos
daily, in Kebayoran Lama, South Jakarta on Tuesday evening,
occupying the building for several hours and injuring two
reporters.

More than 20 people from Tanah Abang in Central Jakarta,
claiming to be supporters of gang leader Hercules, arrived at the
building at 9:30 p.m., and demanded clarification over an article
published by Indo Pos on Monday.

Indo Pos reporter Indra Bonaparte, who was present in the
building, said the group claimed that they had never been
interviewed by the reporter who wrote the article.

They also asked Indo Pos chief editor Irwan Setiawan to meet
them to explain the article.

The article talks about a change in the situation in Tanah
Abang, where a new generation of thugs have taken over the area
from Hercules, who was said in the article to be studying Islam
in Cirebon, West Java.

Several group members entered the building by force and went
to the 10th floor to look for the reporter who wrote the article.

One reporter, identified as Rizki, who tried to calm the gang,
was hit by gang members, while reporter Dilianto, who tried to
help him, suffered a broken nose after being beaten up by the
gang.

The gang also threatened to destroy all the computers in the
building if they were not shut down.

"Fortunately, the chief editor arrived with police officers to
handle the situation. South Jakarta Police chief Sr. Comr.
Guffron also arrived several minutes later. There were brief
negotiations, and at 1 a.m., the gang left the building," Indra
said.

Contacted separately, the writer of the article said that he
did interview Hercules and did cross check other information
before submitting his story to the editor.

"I am now very afraid. I can't talk to you much as I am afraid
of saying something wrong. I am grounded for the time being," he
told The Jakarta Post.

Meanwhile, Hercules said that the group came to the building
to ask for clarification as he had never been interviewed nor
asked for confirmation by the reporter.

"I never met the reporter. Also, I am not a thug. I have never
extorted money from store owners or residents in Tanah Abang," he
was quoted by RCTI as saying on Wednesday.

Jakarta Police chief Insp. Gen. Firman Gani said that he had
ordered his officers to investigate the case.

"We will summon the gang members because of the attack. We
will also question Hercules if necessary," he said.

Chairman of the Independent Journalists Alliance (AJI) Heru
Hendratmoko urged police to investigate the attack and arrest
individuals who had assaulted journalists.

"AJI condemns the attack. That is a criminal act. If people
have objections over an article, they have the right to respond
(through the publication) or report it to the Press Council," he
told the Post.