'Suara Pembaruan' staff file lawsuit

'Suara Pembaruan' staff file lawsuit

JAKARTA (JP): Journalists at Suara Pembaruan, one of
Indonesia's oldest and leading newspapers, have accused its
general manager and publisher of libeling them by wiping their
names from the daily's mast head.

Seven journalists, who have worked for the newspaper for
between seven and 18 years, blamed General Manager Albert
Hasibuan and PT Media Interaksi Utama, the publishing company,
for the libel.

They said they are still working for the newspaper but their
names have been removed from the editorial staff membership since
Jan. 2.

"They have damaged our reputation as journalists," Petron
Curie Nadeak, the group's leader told reporters after a hearing
of the suit at the East Jakarta district court. The hearing is
the culmination of the two-year-old case.

Hasibuan, who is also a member of the National Committee of
Human Rights and of the House of Representatives Law Commission,
did not appear at yesterday's hearing.

In November 1994, the publisher applied for permission from
the Local Committee for Resolving Labor Disputes to dismiss the
journalists but the request was turned down.

The Indonesian Journalists Association, the Ministry of
Information, and the Ministry of Manpower, at the behest of the
journalists, have advised the daily's management to solve the
problem amicably, Nadeak said.

But the accused refused to heed the request, even after the
journalists appealed to the Central Committee for Resolving Labor
Disputes, Kooswadi, a senior journalist in the group, said.

Petron, the group leader, added that "formerly we only
received 50 percent of our salary, but for the last 10 months we
have been left unpaid."

The journalists said they could not understand the situation
because they hold at least 32 percent of the shares in the
company.

Rem Patikawa and John Kusnadi, trustees of PT Media Interaksi
Utama, the newspaper's publisher, told The Jakarta Post yesterday
that they could not comment as they still have to study the
lawsuit.

The hearing was adjourned until March 26. (16)