Policeman beats reporter, PWI condemns

Policeman beats reporter, PWI condemns

PEKANBARU, Riau: A journalist filed a complaint with the
Indonesian Journalist's Association (PWI) Riau Branch on Monday,
saying that he was a victim of a physical assault perpetrated by
a police officer.

Rinaldi, a journalist with Dumai Pos newspaper, said that he
was hit in the face by Adj. Comr. Laksana, the chief of Mandau
district police on Saturday, as he was having a conversation with
a local politician at the Mandau district administration office.

Rinaldi alleged that the assault was apparently prompted by
his recent report that a police officer under Laksana's
supervision had fired a warning shot during a recent protest
demonstration at local company PT ADEI. He wrote that the warning
shot had caused unnecessary panic among the crowd. "He was
apparently pissed off by that report," Rinaldi said.

Rinaldi, who was admitted to the hospital after the assault,
demanded that the journalist association take up the
investigation of the case, and help bring the police officer to
justice.

In response, Sutriyanto, the chairman of PWI in Riau, said
that the association condemned the assault, and it would
immediately send a letter to the Indonesian police chief
protesting the officer's behavior.

Separately, a spokesman for the Riau provincial police, Adj.
Sr. Comr. S. Pandiangan said that the police would apologize for
the incident and would later reprimand the police officer. -- JP