PFI holds joint prayer for five journalists missing in Sunda Strait
Jakarta (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Press Photographers Association (PFI) held a joint prayer for five journalists and three ship crew members who lost contact in the waters of the Sunda Strait while reporting on Mount Anak Krakatau, starting Monday (7/9).
The General Chairperson of PFI Central, Dwi Pambudo, stated that the prayer session serves as a form of moral support for the journalists currently undergoing the search process and for the families awaiting news regarding their condition.
“Tonight, this joint prayer is from the Indonesian Press Photographers Association for our colleagues who were covering Mount Anak Krakatau. We hope that our colleagues remain safe, healthy, and return to their families,” said Dwi Pambudo during the prayer event held in the Bundaran HI area, Central Jakarta, on Friday.
Dido, as Dwi Pambudo is commonly known, mentioned that the event was attended by several family representatives as well as members of the press from various mass media outlets.
PFI also continues to provide assistance to the families through representatives and their respective media companies.
“We hope for assistance from all members of the press. Please prioritise our humanitarian values and avoid discussing unimportant matters. We need prayers, moral support, and optimism,” he said.
Dido also expressed his appreciation to the joint team from Basarnas (National Search and Rescue Agency), the National Police, the TNI (Indonesian National Armed Forces), as well as the central and local governments involved in the search process.
According to him, the search process is expected to provide clarity and serve as a lesson to strengthen disaster education and mitigation, including for journalists working in high-risk areas.
PFI, he added, also hopes that this experience can serve as a momentum to strengthen collaboration between the press, the government, and various institutions to improve the understanding of journalist safety when performing reporting duties in disaster-prone areas.
“May this nation become more responsive to disasters and better prepared in mitigation. May this experience serve as a lesson for all journalists that no news report is worth a human life,” said Dido.