Press coverege ban plan slammed

Press coverege ban plan slammed

JAKARTA: State Minister of Communications and Information
Syamsul Mu'arif slammed on Wednesday plans by the Jakarta High
Court to ban reporters from covering trials, calling it baseless.

Syamsul said he might tolerate a ruling to limit the number of
reporters covering a trial but not a complete ban. "I think it's
baseless," he said after attending the trial on House Speaker
Akbar Tandjung.

He was commenting on plans by the head of the Jakarta High
Court, Ridwan Nasution, to dismiss reporters from court rooms.

According to Ridwan, judges felt under pressure over what they
charge were trials by the press.

However chairman of the Indonesian Press Council Atmakusumah
Astraatmadja criticized the plan as a violation of press freedom.
-- Antara