TV station faces police probe

JAKARTA: The Indonesia Broadcasting Commission (KPI) announced on Tuesday that it would file a report against private TV station Metro TV with the police, for airing party campaign advertisements during the cooling-off period.

The KPI claimed that the station had broadcast the campaigns of the Indonesia Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and the National Awakening Party (PKB) on April 3.

"On April 3, Metro TV aired a PDI-P advertisement at 12:10 a.m and 12:36 a.m. and a PKB advertisement at 00:30," KPI chairman Bimo Nugroho said, adding that the advertisements had run for 30 seconds each.

The commission also found that the TV station had aired a running text on PDI-P for seven seconds at 12:29 and 12:39.

Bimo said KPI and the Election Supervisory Committee (Panwaslu) would file reports with the National Police on Wednesday.

The General Elections Commission (KPU) banned campaigning during the cooling-off period from April 2 to April 4. -- JP