'Sriwijaya Post' stops publication
'Sriwijaya Post' stops publication
JAKARTA (JP): Sriwijaya Post, a daily newspaper based in
Palembang, South Sumatra, is suspending its publication as of
today following a physical clash among its employees in the
latest conflict embroiling the newspaper's management.
The daily's acting general manager Hendrowiyono told The
Jakarta Post by telephone last night that the management decided
to suspend publication for security reasons.
"No one can guarantee the security at the editorial office and
therefore everyone is worried about their safety," he said.
The latest clash happened at the newspaper's office on Sunday
when more than 30 people, including eight editorial staff
members, went on a rampage. They smashed computers, cut off
telephone lines and attacked other employees standing on their
way.
Police arrested 29 people involved in the rampage. They were
released on Tuesday but police promised to continue
investigation.
The conflict stemmed from the confusion in the shares of the
newspaper. Some of the newspaper's employees were unhappy with
the inclusion of "strangers" in the list of shareholders.
It was then fueled by management reshuffle in which the then
General Manager Fauzi Achmad was replaced. The reorganization put
Fauzi and the then Chief Editor Hendrowiyono at odds.
The conflict burst into the open when Fauzi fired a journalist
he said had a past link with an "outlawed organization", a common
reference to the Indonesian Communist Party.
Earlier this month, the opposing camps had been involved in a
physical clash. Fauzi and Hendrowiyono accused each other of
hiring street hoodlums in their bids to force their will.
Hendrowiyono said last night that he hoped the newspaper, the
largest in South Sumatra, will reappear in about a week.
PT Sriwijaya Perdana -- the company which publishes the
newspaper -- will review the management and find an acceptable
solution, he said.
Sunday's violence has been brought to the attention of the
Information Ministry in Jakarta. South Sumatra governor Ramli
Hasan Basri has threatened to interfere if the conflict drags on.
(pan)