TV journalists held hostage in Boyolali

TV journalists held hostage in Boyolali

The Jakarta Post, Surakarta/Jakarta

Violence against the media is still rampant in certain parts of
Indonesian despite the reforms introduced following the downfall
of former dictator Soeharto four years ago.

The latest case was experienced by four television
journalists, who were held hostage for more than seven hours last
week by thousands of residents of Guwo village in the subdistrict
of Kemusu, Boyolali regency, Central Java.

The hostage drama started at 4 p.m. on Apr. 4, 2002, when Yudi
Sutomo and Kiswanto, respectively a reporter and cameraman for
SCTV television, and Triyogo and Umarudin, respectively a
reporter and cameraman with state broadcaster TVRI, were covering
a land dispute involving the local administration and some
villagers.

The disputed 3,000-square meter site was to be converted into
a small bus terminal. A number of houses on the site had already
been bulldozed by the local authorities and residents, except for
the home of the Suparno family, who refused to move.

When the four journalists admitted they had been invited by
the Suparnos' lawyer, Yudhi Ali, the unnamed secretary of the
Guwo village council suddenly started beating a traditional
bamboo drum to warn local residents of danger.

Some 2,000 villagers quickly mobbed the journalists, seizing
their recordings and forcing them to walk for more than two
kilometers from the site to the village head's office after their
car tires had been slashed.

On the way to the village head's office, the mob repeatedly
yelled "Kill and burn the journalists".

The journalists were later released by 12 midnight on the same
day after they promised not to publish what they had seen in the
area. The release occurred one hour after the arrival of Boyolali
police personnel.

Boyolali Police chief Adj. Sr. Comr. Dolly Bambang Hermawan
confirmed the violence perpetrated against the four reporters and
cameramen, saying his men had rescued them from the mob.

However, he said no suspects had been charged nor arrests
made.

The incident sparked condemnation from many journalists'
associations, which said it was an act of terror against the
media designed to curb the freedom of journalists and prohibit
people from enjoying their right to receive information.

The Association of Indonesian Television Journalists (IJTI)
urged the Boyolali Police to investigate the case and take
effective measures to prevent similar violence from recurring.

"If ignored, it will set a bad precedent for the survival of
the press and destroy the democratization efforts we are
promoting now," said the IJTI in a statement.

The Independent Journalist Alliance (AJI) also slammed the
hostage drama in Boyolali. It had clearly violated Articles 4 and
18 of Law No. 40/1999 on the media, it said.

This law carries a maximum penalty of two years in prison or a
Rp 500 million fine for those found guilty of deliberately trying
to hamper the press and access to information.

Meanwhile, Boyolali Regent Djaka Srijanta said his
administration would send a delegation to Guwo village to brief
local residents on the journalistic profession.

"We will try to explain to them about the duties and functions
of journalists, who are neutral and do not take a particular
side," he told The Jakarta Post.

Djaka voiced concern over the violence against the four TVRI
and SCTV journalists.