Reporters help stage demonstrations: Military
Reporters help stage demonstrations: Military
JAKARTA (JP): Military authorities said Saturday that the
recent spate of demonstrations in the East Timor capital of Dili
was fanned by visiting foreign journalists.
"There were indications that some foreign journalists
intentionally linked up with the demonstrators," said Wiradharma
military command spokesman L. Simbolon. The command oversees
security in the former Portuguese colony.
He told local reporters that some foreign journalists had
helped stage the demonstration.
Dili was recently rocked by a series of demonstrations
triggered by the murder of an East Timorese by a fellow trader of
Bugis decent. Most of the protests took place at the East Timor
University and at the Dili Cathedral. The protests coincided with
the high-profile APEC meeting in Jakarta.
Simbolon said local security authorities observed that foreign
journalists had gathered at the demonstrations sites hours before
the protesters moved in. This, he said, indicated that the
protests may have been prearranged.
He said two Japanese NHK journalists at the campus
demonstration kept two posters outlining the students' opposition
to integration with Indonesia instead of handing them over to the
military.
"Before the demonstration at the Dili Cathedral, heavily laden
journalists kept a lookout from early in the morning, suggesting
that they had worked out some sort of scenario with the
protesters," he said.
He said that two tripods and a bag full of anti-government
posters found at the cathedral supported his accusation. Simbolon
added that security authorities also saw two journalists escaping
through the cathedral's backyard.
"Why would they run when there was nothing to fear?" he was
quoted by Antara news agency as asking. He added that he was
displeased with the journalists' actions.
"Was this how they repaid the (Indonesian) central
government's favor of giving them the freedom to report from East
Timor?" he asked.
He said that East Timor is still open to foreign journalists.
In a related development, immigration authorities in Dili have
expelled an Australian tourist they say misused his visa for
political purposes.
Local immigration office chief, J. Triswoyo, said Australian
Andrew Ian McNaughtan was caught recording a demonstration with
his video camera near a church.
He said McNaughtan was "actively involved" in the protest
because the tourist was in the mob recording the activities. He
declined to say which church the demonstration took place near.
(pan)