Journalists abducted by students

Journalists abducted by students

YOGYAKARTA: Two journalists and two photographers were taken as hostages for almost three hours on Thursday by students of the Indonesian Institute of the Arts (ISI) Yogyakarta while they were covering a student demonstration opposing the week-long initiations for new students at the campus.

Effi Wijono Putro and Jayadi Kastari, both journalists from Kedaulatan Rakyat daily, and Y Suroso and I Gede Nyoman Wiryadinatha, both of the bernas daily were put into a dark room near the campus and the photographers were forced to hand over their film.

"I was dragged into a closed room while I was covering the demonstration and forced to stay there, not allowed to cover what was happening," Nyoman Wiryadinatha said after they were released.

The journalists said they would complain about the incident to the local police for further investigation. The institute's management was also urged to investigate the case and take stern measures against those who were involved in the abduction. --JP