Newspaper office attacked in Medan, six injured

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan, North Sumatra

Thursday was yet another in a long list of bad days for press freedom over the past two years. In the early morning hours here, an unidentified armed mob attacked the office of Sinar Indonesia Baru (SIB) daily newspaper on Jl. Brigjen Katamso, leaving six people injured and damaging most of the equipment.

The brutal attack disrupted the entire operation, so that the number of newspapers distributed on Thursday was only half of its circulation of 70,000.

The incident began when about 15 thugs, in three cars, descended on the office building at 1 a.m, according to witnesses. Without warning, they broke into the office building and attacked and damaged much of the office equipment with metal and bamboo poles, said one employee Luhut Manurung, who witnessed the frightening scene.

He said that there were only a few dozen employees at the office because the incident happened after the paper had gone to print.

The few who were there could do nothing to stop the intruders because they were outnumbered and unarmed during the 20-minute attack.

"Some of the employees were able to flee. But, the ones who could not were physically assaulted," said Luhut.

Six people, all employees of SIB, reportedly were hurt, one seriously. A security guard named Sujarman Holo, had to be rushed to Sari Mutiara Hospital with "serious" injuries, but it was not clear if they were life-threatening.

SIB's advertising manager Tuti Panggabean speculated that the attack could have stemmed from the publication of several articles that scrutinized the large number of gambling dens in the city.

Tuti said that she strongly condemned the brutal attack, saying it was another setback for the freedom of the press and a violation of human rights. She demanded that the police get serious about an investigation and bring the perpetrators to justice.

Separately, chief of the Medan police Sr. Comr. Bagus Kurniawan said that the police had begun looking into the case. "We've questioned a couple of witnesses in the case," Bagus declared.

Another high-profile attack on a media organization occurred last year in Jakarta, when the office of Tempo magazine was stormed and vandalized by two gangs, one linked to a well- connected businessman, and another to a political party.