Press Freedom and The Dangers to Journalists...

A free press is often seen as a hallmark of a mature democracy. The simple idea being that a free press in some way ensures that there is accountability and the culture of impunity and immunity is whittled away. However, a free press does not always guarantee the safety of those who wish to expose the excesses of some members of the community through their activism or their reporting. Indonesia has seen three journalists killed since February 2009. The latest, Ardiansyah Matra'is was pulled from a river in West Papua. Matra'is was naked and handcuffed.

Stop killing journalists!

Matra'is prior to his death was a reporter for Merauke TV. Matra'is death is also the culmination of a series of threats SMS-ed to journalists warning them that "if they played with fire they would be sure to get burned" and that they should be 'prepared for death'.

Matra'is' death follows the mysterious death of a Kompas journalist, Muhammad Syaifullah, in Kalimantan. The police have been quick to dismiss foul play, which suggests that the case theory as far as the police are concerned is that this was a suicide. Syaifullah had been reporting on the ongoing raping and pillaging of Indonesia's natural forests and resources by big mining companies.

These two deaths follow the death of Anak Agung Prabangsa of Radar Bali in February 2009. Prabangsa had also been the subject of threats after exposing irregularities in the building of an international standard primary school in Bangli, Bali.

It is time that the free press that is claimed to exist in Indonesia became free. The first step is to ensure that journalists can do their jobs in an environment where they are free from terror and threats of death and, in at least 3 cases in the last 18 months, death.

Ferry Sinkings in Indonesia

This past week in Indonesia has seen two ferries sink, one off the coast of Bali and one off the coast of Kalimantan. What is it with Indonesian ferries and their uncanny ability to regularly sink?

Understanding that Indonesia is a collection of 17,000 plus islands makes it easy to see why sea transportation is critical to the movement of goods and people. So, in some ways the fact that there is an accident or two would seem to be part and parcel of the odds.

However, the regularity with which accidents occur really should raise more alarm bells than it does. It should also generate a little bit more action than the obligatory Minister of Transportation statement that the government is dedicated to ensuring the safety of its citizens who have no option but to take sea transportation to get to where they need to be.

Simple solution is a complete overhaul of the safety and compliance system. This overhaul does not necessarily imply changing of the current prevailing laws and regulations, but rather seeing that the regulations that are already in force are, in fact, enforced.

On Wednesday, a ferry, Putra Romo, sank in the Straits of Badung off the coast of Bali. Of the 27 people on board, nine are dead and three are missing. Then, last night, the Sari Mulia sank off the coast of Kalimantan on a routine trip from Negara to Banjarmasin. The ship, as is often the case in Indonesia, was overcrowded. Best estimates to date are that one hundred have been rescued, five are dead, and a further eighteen are missing.

This is certainly not a good start to the fasting month.

(picture is a random ferry image that can be found here)