Police have no link to AJI: Ratta

Police have no link to AJI: Ratta

National Police Force spokesman Brig. Gen. I.K. Ratta says that the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) has no connection whatsoever with his office or its latest traffic campaign.

"Write down for your papers that I did not know what AJI was about, or what its mission was until I checked after seeing their banners listing the name of my office," Ratta told The Jakarta Post and Republika here on Saturday.

Ratta said that he had ordered all police personnel to take down all the AJI-sponsored traffic campaign banners being put up at many points in the city, including on a bridge in front of the City Police Headquarters, because the organization, a rival to the Indonesian Journalists Association (PWI), "is still not recognized by the government".

"We did send letters to media companies through their reporters posted at the Police Headquarters asking for their support to make banners for our traffic order campaign. Unfortunately apparently an AJI member was present and my staff gave him one of the letters," he said.

The AJI member reportedly works for an evening daily, which stationed him at the police office.

Ratta said he felt deceived by AJI because the organization is an illegal one and should not have had a representative at the police office.

Ratta has taken action by explaining how the banners came to be made to related institutions, including the country's intelligence agency, the official Indonesian Journalists Association and the Ministry of Information. (bsr)