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)