'Tempo' protested by Tomy Winata supporters over fire report

M. Taufiqurrahman and Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A group of people protested outside the offices of Tempo magazine on Saturday, demanding the retraction of an article about plans by businessman Tomy Winata to renovate Tanah Abang market in Central Jakarta, which was gutted by fire last month.

The 200 or so protesters, who said they were from the Artha Graha Group (GAG) and the Indonesian Young Bulls (BMI), arrived at the Tempo offices on Jl. Proklamasi in Central Jakarta at about 11 a.m. Riot police had arrived at the building about an hour earlier.

Four protest leaders forced their way into the newsroom and demanded to speak with chief editor Bambang Harymurti and editors Ahmad Taufik and Karaniya Dharmasaputra.

The men then forced Taufik to reveal the sources in the magazine's story about Tomy's Rp 53 billion (US$5.9 million) bid to renovate Tanah Abang market. The businessman made the bid long before fire destroyed much of the market on Feb. 19.

The four men then attacked Bambang and Taufik before police moved in and took the men to the Central Jakarta Police station.

Tempo reported in its March 3 edition that Tomy made the proposal three months ago, long before the market was gutted by fire. The article also called Tomy a "big scavenger".

Tomy's lawyer, Desmond J. Mahesa, said his client never submitted a proposal to renovate the market before the fire, and that the magazine's use of the phrase "big scavenger" had injured Tomy.

A team of lawyers representing Tomy sent a warning to Tempo on March 7.

The editorial staff of the magazine has decided to run a correction in its next edition, which will go to print on Saturday.

In an interview aired on El Shinta radio station, Tomy said he did not organize the protest at Tempo and expressed sympathy for the incident.

"It was not me who mobilized them. (However), with the article Tempo created a killing machine that might mobilize all of the victims of the Tanah Abang market fire to take revenge against me. Tempo should have provided undeniable proof in its report," he said.

Mahesa said most of the protesters work as security guards at the Artha Graha Group and that Tomy knows them.