Journalists rally against U.S.

JAKARTA: About 200 Indonesian journalists from various media rallied in front of the U.S. Embassy on Jl. Medan Merdeka Selatan on Thursday to protest the killing of reporters covering the war in Iraq.

In their letter to U.S. President George W. Bush, the journalists condemned the U.S. for neglecting press freedom and violating the Geneva Convention, which states that journalists are civilians and thus not a target of war.

"We strongly condemn the killing of journalists working in Iraq. We cannot tolerate this because it was done by the U.S., which understands press freedom the best," the journalist said in their statement.

Three journalists were killed when a U.S. tank fired a missile into Palestine Hotel, where most of the foreign media are based in Baghdad, and when a U.S. air raid struck the Al-Jazeera television office, also in Baghdad.

The protesters demanded an investigation into these incidents and the public announcement of its result.

"We wait for your response and the results of your investigation, Mr. President. We seriously urge that no more journalists be killed in Iraq," said the letter. -- JP