Medan has new AJI branch

MEDAN, North Sumatra (JP): Local journalists established a branch of the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) here yesterday.

M. Syamin Pardede from Kompas daily and Achmady from Adil tabloid were elected as the organization's chairman and secretary respectively.

The newly formed branch would have seven divisions which include human resources development, sports, arts and culture.

AJI was established by young journalists discontented with the ineffective way in which the Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI) responded to the government closure of three weeklies -- Tempo, Editor and DeTik -- in 1994.

During the administration of former president Soeharto, AJI was an unsanctioned organization and its members often encountered obstacles in their work as a result. (21)