'RCTI' gets Ersa's belongings 'on loan'

'RCTI' gets Ersa's belongings 'on loan'

Teuku Agam Muzakkir and Nani Afrida, The Jakarta Post,
Lhokseumawe/Banda Aceh

The Aceh Military operation command in Lhokseumawe delivered
on Friday several items belonging to the late journalist Sory
Ersa Siregar to the management of RCTI television station, saying
that the items were evidence given "on loan" to his employer.

The items were, among other things, a Sony handycam with its
charger, two jackets, a vest, two sarongs, a prayer rug, a pair
of shorts, a bag, two pairs of socks, three empty wallets and
Ersa's press card. The video tapes mentioned earlier by military
spokesman Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin were not among the belongings. He
had said they were "war reparations" taken by the Indonesian
Military (TNI) and that RCTI was welcome to make copies.

Deny Reksa, the RCTI manager who received the items, said he
would take them Jakarta and show them to the station's management
as well as to Ersa's family. He was quick to add that he would
immediately give them back to the military "should they require
the items for further investigation".

RCTI chief editor Derek Manangka said he had yet to determine
whether his reporters had made any documentation particularly
while in custody, but said the content of any of their equipment
would belong to RCTI.

RCTI is among the parties demanding an independent
investigation into Ersa's death, which the government has agreed
to, Coordinating Minister for Political and Security Affairs
Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said on Friday.

Ersa, along with his cameraman Fery Santoro and two wives of
Air Force officers, was captured by the Free Aceh Movement (GAM)
while traveling in the Peureulak area, East Aceh regency, on May
29.

On Dec. 29, or exactly six months after being taken hostage,
Ersa was killed by military bullets in what TNI claimed to be a
crossfire between marines and GAM rebels at the remote Aleu
Matang Arun village in Simpang Ulim subdistrict, East Aceh.

Ishak Dawood, the GAM commander overseeing East Aceh, has
declared that Fery is still in GAM's hands and is safe, and in a
generally healthy condition. GAM has also denied that there was a
crossfire and has blamed the military for executing Ersa even
though he had identified himself as a RCTI journalist to the
marines.

Spokesman for the International Committee of the Red Cross in
Banda Aceh Fortuna Alfariza said that the organization would
cooperate with the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) to secure the
release of Fery as well as other civilian hostages currently held
hostage by GAM. She said the response from both sides was better
than that received before Ersa's death.

"We held a meeting with PMI representatives today to discuss
efforts over the release of the hostages, including Fery. We are
pleased that both military authorities and GAM gave a positive
response upon hearing our proposal to facilitate the release,"
Fortuna told The Jakarta Post by phone.

"We hope that in the very near future, we can secure the
rescue of the civilians," she added.

Meanwhile, Fery's wife Mayawati Santoro has appealed to
leaders of both the TNI and GAM to release her husband, as well
as the two wives of Air Force officers and other civilian
hostages, in a peaceful manner.