| Subject: CPJ: Another
journalist killed in East Timor Indonesia:
Another journalist killed in East Timor
September 30, 1999
His Excellency Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie President,
Republic of Indonesia Office of the President Bina Graha, Jalan Veteran No. 17 Jakarta
Pusat, Indonesia VIA FAX: +62-21-778-182
Your Excellency,
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) strongly
condemns the recent killing of Indonesian journalist Agus Muliawan, who was among a group
of nine church workers massacred on Saturday, September 25 as they traveled to Baucau from
Lospalos, East Timor. The gunmen were identified in Western news reports as Indonesian
troops or pro-Indonesian militia members.
The 26 year-old Muliawan is the second journalist killed in
East Timor in the past ten days: Sander Thoenes, 30, a Dutch correspondent for the
Financial Times,was shot outside Dili on September 21. Muliawan had been working in Dili
since February on a television documentary about Falintil, the largest East Timorese
guerrilla group favoring independence from Indonesia, for the Tokyo-based news agency Asia
Press International. The journalist was Balinese, and had established working
relationships with many Indonesian military officials.
Muliawan was traveling by van with a group that included
the head of the Caritas Roman Catholic aid agency, two students from a local seminary, two
nuns, two assistants to the nuns and a driver, according to Western news reports. The
gunmen apparently ambushed the group after nightfall in the town of Com, as they drove
from Lospalos, where they had been on a humanitarian mission, to Baucau. Seven bodies were
found floating in the Raomoko River thirty-eight miles from Baucau. Two bodies were found
in the van, which had been pushed into the river.
Muliawan's death came only days after the UN Human Rights
Commission voted to establish an inquiry into possible atrocities committed in East Timor.
Although security responsibility for East Timor has officially been handed over to UN
peacekeepers, CPJ reminds your excellency that the Indonesian government is responsible
for the activities of all remaining Indonesian military and paramilitary forces in East
Timor as well as West Timor, where many militia groups are based and which remains under
full Indonesian government control.
Indonesian troops, along with the pro-Jakarta militias that
they armed and trained, are widely reported to have been involved in the many recent
attacks on journalists, foreign aid workers and villagers around Dili. Last week, for
example, Sunday Times reporter Jon Swain and Chip Hires of the Paris-based Gamma photo
agency were ambushed in the eastern town of Baucau by gunmen wearing Indonesian military
uniforms. The two journalists were later rescued by Australian troops.
As an organization of journalists dedicated to the defense
of our colleagues around the world, CPJ holds your government responsible for any attacks
on journalists committed by members of Indonesian military or paramilitary forces
operating in East and West Timor. CPJ respectfully urges your administration to
demonstrate its commitment to press freedom by making every effort to ensure the safety of
journalists reporting in East and West Timor during this volatile period.
We thank you for your attention to these urgent matters,
and await your response.
Sincerely,
Ann K. Cooper Executive Director
Join CPJ in Protesting Attacks on the Press in Indonesia
Send a letter to:
His Excellency Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie
President, Republic of Indonesia
Office of the President
Bina Graha, Jalan Veteran
No. 17 Jakarta Pusat, Indonesia
VIA FAX: +62-21-778-182
Indonesia: Another journalist killed in East Timor
September 30, 1999
Mr. Ian Martin
Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of Mission UNAMET
Headquarters Mitchell Street
Darwin, Northern Territory
Australia 0810
VIA FAX: +61-88-941-8710
Mr. Martin,
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) strongly
condemns the killing of Agus Muliawan, an Indonesian journalist who was among a group of
nine church workers massacred on Saturday, September 25, as they traveled to Baucau from
Lospalos, East Timor. The gunmen were identified in Western news reports as Indonesian
troops or pro-Jakarta militia.
Muliawan, 26, had been working in Dili since February on a
television documentary about Falintil, the largest guerrilla group favoring independence
from Indonesia, for the Tokyo-based news agency Asia Press International. The journalist
was Balinese, and had established working relationships with many Indonesian military
officials.
The 26 year-old Muliawan is the second journalist killed in
East Timor in the past ten days: Sander Thoenes, 30, a Dutch correspondent for the
Financial Times, was shot outside Dili on September 21. Muliawan had been working in Dili
since February on a television documentary about Falintil, the largest East Timorese
guerrilla group favoring independence from Indonesia, for the Tokyo-based news agency Asia
Press International. The journalist was Balinese, and had established working
relationships with many Indonesian military officials.
Muliawan was traveling by van with a group that included
the head of the Caritas Roman Catholic aid agency, two students from a local seminary, two
nuns, two assistants to the nuns and a driver, according to Western news reports. The
gunmen apparently ambushed the group after nightfall in the town of Com, as they drove
from Lospalos, where they had been on a humanitarian mission, to Baucau. Seven bodies were
found floating in the Raomoko River thirty-eight miles from Baucau. Two bodies were found
in the van, which had been pushed into the river.
Since responsibility for the security of East Timor has
officially been handed over to UN peacekeepers, CPJ urges protection for the many foreign
and local journalists working in the area. Journalists are the international community's
eyes and ears in East Timor. As Indonesian troops withdraw and militia attacks persist, it
is imperative that reporters in the field be able to perform their professional duties
safely.
CPJ respectfully urges UN forces in East Timor to
investigate the murder of Agus Muliawan, to detain those responsible for his death, and to
make every effort to ensure the safety of all journalists reporting in the area during
this volatile period.
We thank you for your attention to these urgent matters,
and await your response. Sincerely,
Ann K. Cooper Executive Director
Join CPJ in Protesting Attacks on the Press in Indonesia
Send a letter to:
Mr. Ian Martin
Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of Mission
UNAMET Headquarters
Mitchell Street
Darwin, Northern Territory
Australia 0810
VIA FAX: +61-88-941-8710
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