Indonesia: Journalists Face Death Threats

Monday, 29 November 2010, 4:20 pm
Press Release: Pacific Media Centre

JAKARTA (The Jakarta Post/Pacific Media Watch): A number of journalists were threatened, and several came under attack, while reporting at a shelter for Indonesian migrant workers in Condet, East Jakarta, on Tuesday.

"Bottles were thrown at us from outside," said Stephen, part of a group of reporters from television station Trans 7, as quoted by newswire Tempo Interaktif.

The incident began when the journalists showed up to cover an unscheduled inspection of the shelter by the Manpower and Transmigration Ministry. The shelter is managed by PT Dwi Insan Setia.

Stefanus said one of his colleagues, a cameraman from SCTV television station , was asked to hand over all of his footage while he was smoking outside of the shelter. He was told that he would be killed if he did not, Stefanus said, adding that his colleague had avoided trouble by going back into the shelter.

Stephanus said that he saw about 120 migrant workers at the shelter, and that some of them had broken down in tears when ministry officials inspected the shelter from 5 pm until 8 pm.

The men who had threatened the reporters, Stephanus said, were nowhere to be seen by the time the visit was wrapped up.

Stephanus said no one was physically assaulted.

ENDS

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