Journalists complain to police over banning

JAKARTA (JP): Three journalists prohibited from covering activities at the Attorney General's Office filed a complaint at the National Police Headquarters in South Jakarta on Thursday, urging police to investigate the ban.

The three banned journalists -- Bambang Wahyu from Kompas daily, Driantama from television station RCTI and Roy Tumpal Pakpahan from the Suara Bangsa afternoon newspaper -- were received by police Capt. TP Damanik at the headquarters.

"We ask the police to investigate alleged criminal actions behind the ban," Roy told reporters after filing the complaint.

The complaint was directed mainly at three officials, namely Attorney General Andi M. Ghalib, the office's general affairs manager Zainuddin Jahisa and security coordinator B.S. Guntur, who directly or indirectly ordered the ban.

Zainuddin said on Tuesday the three journalists were prohibited from entering the Attorney General's Office as they acted rudely when questioning Ghalib in a press conference after the installment on May 26 of Ramelan as the new deputy attorney general for special crimes.

The three journalists were scheduled to visit the police headquarters to submit evidence, including audio-visual recordings of the press conference, to police on Friday.

Before the journalists filed the complaint, dozens of their colleagues staged a protest at the Attorney General's Office, demanding the attorney general give a reasonable explanation of the decision to ban the three.

In the protest, which took place from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., the journalists sang several modified songs and unfurled banners criticizing the decision.

One of the banners read: "Don't insult journalists with your offer of ties and shoes."

After waiting for two hours, however, the three journalists failed to meet Ghalib.

Meanwhile, Deputy Attorney General for Intelligence Affairs Yusuf Kartanegara apologized to the three banned journalists on Thursday, but said there was never in fact a ban.

"The office never prevents journalists from covering events here. We only make an attempt to urge reckless journalists to dress well and to ask questions in a proper manner," he said

However, the three journalists turned down the office's apology, and insisted that the attorney general apologize to them himself.

Meanwhile, dozens of journalists in the Forum for Bandung Journalists' Discussion blasted the attorney general's ban as "arrogant" and "immoral".

"Precisely in the reform era, the attorney general has closed down the people's access to information," the group said in a statement. (emf/asa/43)