Journalists rally against U.S.

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