Journalists plan to sue over beating

YOGYAKARTA (JP): The local chapter of the Association of Indonesian Journalists is threatening to sue a police officer who punched a female reporter here Wednesday.

"We are working on taking legal action. We really want to take the case to court," Masduki Attamimi of the association said yesterday.

The incident happened when the police officer, Kandyawan, struck Idayani of Detektif & Romantika on the neck.

Idayani and dozens of other reporters were trying to interview regent Sri Roso Sudarmo about his bid to continue a US$43-million Parangtritis Beach resort project which had been shelved by the provincial government when the incident occurred.

When Sri Roso, who is implicated in last year's murder of a Bernas journalist, came out of a post-Idul Fitri gathering with Governor Sri Paku Alam VIII the scrum of journalists approached him for comments.

About a dozen of the regent's guards forcibly warded off the journalists and hurled abuse at them. They accused the reporters of staging an anti-Sri Roso demonstration.

"I know you are trying to demonstrate," Kandyawan, who headed the regent's police squad, angrily shouted at the journalists.

"Who is going to stage a demonstration?" retorted an irritated reporter. "We are here on duty, not to demonstrate"

"You are all disturbing order. I am not afraid of being televised on TV" Kandyawan said when a Televisi Pendidikan Indonesia cameraman recorded the incident.

The Parangtritis megaproject was canceled after Sultan Hemengku Buwono X of Yogyakarta joined the public chorus of objections based on environmental and cultural considerations. (23/aan)