Scared journalist protected

Scared journalist protected

JAKARTA (JP): City Police yesterday guaranteed the security of a Tangerang photojournalist and his family from threats and terror alleged to have been plotted by a neighborhood chief.

"We've asked him to go home and live as usual with his wife and children because the local police have deployed personnel, led by the chief of Public Counseling Unit, to control the security in his area," City Police Spokesman Lt. Col. Iman Haryatna said yesterday.

Robin Ong, 38, a photojournalist from the banned Tempo magazine, had reported the chief of the Bugel subdistrict, Mulyadi, to the Tangerang police recently for terrorizing his family at least twice.

The motive, Robin said, might have been his letter recently printed in the Bisnis Indonesia daily.

In the letter, Robin complained about the floods that regularly affect his house in the Banjarwijaya housing complex in Cipondoh, near Bugel.

Mulyadi's house in the complex, was also flooded. The letter, which was unsigned, said the flood even reached the karaoke singing room of Mulyadi's house.

On the day the letter was published, Robin said Mulyadi intimidated him on the phone. Several hours later, according to Robin, the village chief came along with two thugs and banged on his gate.

"The man has threatened to kill me, my husband and children," Robin's wife said.

Mulyadi has denied intimidating Robin's family, saying that he and some companions went to Robin's house just to find out why the photojournalist wrote such a letter.

Since then, Robin's house has been empty after the alleged victim moved his wife and children to a relative's house.

Spokesman Iman quoted City Police Chief Maj. Gen. Dibyo Widodo as saying that the police would do their best to settle the dispute satisfactorily and speedily. (bsr)