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