(AJI/IFEX) – The following is a 26 March 1999 AJI press release: AJI PROTESTS TERROR AGAINST JOURNALISTS FROM SUARA TIMOR TIMUR Based upon information received from a member of the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) in Dili, East Timor, at around 17:00 local time on Saturday, 26 March 1999, journalists at the Suara Timor Timur […]
(AJI/IFEX) – The following is a 26 March 1999 AJI press release:
AJI PROTESTS TERROR AGAINST JOURNALISTS FROM SUARA TIMOR TIMUR
Based upon information received from a member of the Alliance of
Independent
Journalists (AJI) in Dili, East Timor, at around 17:00 local time on
Saturday, 26 March 1999, journalists at the Suara Timor Timur (STT,
Voice of
East Timor) daily newspaper were terrorised. Their assailants were about
20
members of Mahidi (Live and Die by Integration) – an armed
pro-integration
militia based in Ainaro, under the leadership of Canciao Lopez da
Carvalho.
These militia members threatened to burn down the STT office, asserting
that
this newspaper had set pro-integration and pro-independence groups in
conflict with each other.
Antonio Kiik, an STT staff member who was in the office at the time, was
threatened with physical abuse should he not disclose the identity of
the
journalist who interviewed David Ximenes, a CNRT (National Council of
Timorese Resistance, Conselho Nacional de Restencia Timorese) figure.
The
interview became STT’s lead story on Saturday, 26 March 1999, with the
headline “CNRT Continues to Fight For East Timor’s Independence” and the
sub-headline “David: Threats of a Civil War are Engineered.”
It seems that the Mahidi militia group, which has raided civilians in
several areas in East Timor, was unhappy with STT’s reporting, which
gives
equal space to pro-independence groups. One day earlier, STT published
interviews with the Mahidi chairperson, Cancio Carvalho, and Erurico
Gutteres, chairperson of Aitarak, another militia group.
In response to this incident, AJI:
1. Strongly criticises the efforts of the armed militia group to
terrorise
and intimidate the STT journalists working in accordance with the
demands
and guidelines of the journalistic profession
2. Demands that the Indonesian Armed Forces (ABRI) immediately seize all
weapons in the possession of militia groups, which besides disrupting
order
for society in general, have also threatened the security of journalists
working in East Timor.
For memory’s sake, on behalf of pro-integration militia in East Timor,
Cancio Carvalho and Erurico Gutteres recently directly threatened the
lives
of Australian journalists, in an open letter dated 5 February 1999 and
addressed to Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer.
3. Fully support the professional endeavours of the STT journalists, who
have applied the principles of balanced reporting, covering both sides.
4. Appeal to any readers or other group who feel wronged by the
reporting of
any media in East Timor to exercise their right of reply, a right held
in
high respect by journalists, or commence legal proceedings, and not
attempt
to resolve their differences through violence.
5. Invites all parties to work together to safeguard the freedom of the
press, a vital element in bringing about democracy – something this
nation
has yearned for for many decades.
Jakarta, 26 March 1999
Chairperson,
Lukas Luwarso
Advocacy Division Coordinator,
Ging Ginanjar
Secretary,
Dadang RHs.
