Victim tells of ordeal during mob protest against `Tempo'

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A victim of the recent mob protest at Tempo weekly news magazine recounted on Wednesday the intimidation he experienced at the hands of some 200 people claiming to be supporters of businessman Tomy Winata.

Ahmad Taufik, one of the magazine's editors, admitted that he was terrified and depressed by the incident.

He said he was attending a wedding reception in South Jakarta when the magazine's editorial secretary phoned him, asking him to come to the office as the police had warned the magazine that Tomy's men would stage a protest there.

Taufik had been informed earlier by Tomy's lawyer, Desmond J. Mahesa, of his client's objection to the article in the magazine's March 3 edition suggesting that Tomy Winata might have had a hand in the fire that gutted the Tanah Abang public market, considered to be Asia's biggest retail market.

Quoting an unnamed source, Tempo wrote that Tomy had proposed a Rp 53 billion (US$5.9 million) renovation of the Tanah Abang textile market before it was gutted by fire last month. The magazine also referred to Tomy as a "big scavenger" for taking advantage of the fire.

Taufik said he had prepared some documents to discuss with the protesters. Since the protesters had already pulled down the magazine's front gate, he later told police that he was ready to talk to two or three protesters in the magazine's offices, but the police asked him to meet the protesters face to face.

Taufik went out to meet the protesters thinking that the police officers would protect him. To his surprise, the protesters instead attempted to assault him.

Taufik managed to save himself although his hand was injured. A police officer also seemed to be on the verge of hitting him.

By this stage the protesters had already entered the magazine's offices. There, Teddy Uban, who is known as a close aide of Tomy, verbally abused and threatened Taufik, reporter Abdul Manan and two Tempo magazine staffers.

Teddy threw a box at Taufik when he refused to reveal his source. But the box hit Abdul Manan, who suffered cuts to his face.

Then David, another close aide of Tomy Winata's, arrived on the scene. He boasted that he was on intimate terms with several high-ranking police officers. David also verbally abused and threatened reporters.

The police took no action against the protesters despite the assault and the threats.

Taufik later called Tempo chief editor Bambang Harymurti. As the talks with the protesters had yielded no results, police asked Bambang, Taufik and editor Karaniya Dharmasaputra to go to the Central Jakarta police station.

There, the situation grew even tenser, and the protesters hit Bambang and Taufik inside the police station.

"How can violence happen even in a police station," asked Taufik, who admitted that he was desperate.

Separately, Tomy's lawyer, Desmond J. Mahesa, denied that Tomy Winata had ordered his men to attack Tempo.

"The protest was a spontaneous act as the article had prejudiced many people," he said.

Desmond said that "they were only trying to get results." He did not elaborate on his statements.

He blamed Tempo for publishing the article. Desmond is a former activist who was kidnapped by the military during the New Order era.

Many people have condemned such thuggery directed against press freedom. On Wednesday night, a number of chief editors held talks to discuss the issue.

"We must stop thuggery against the press. We can't tolerate this," asserted Bondan Winarno of the Suara Pembaruan evening daily.