TITLE: Kontras Questions Ban on Foreign Newsmen Visiting Aceh

AUTHOR:

ORG: TOPAL

DATE: January 24, 2001

Kontras-Aceh coordinator, Aguswandi, has issued an Open Letter calling on the government to give a clarification about the ban on foreign journalists to visit Aceh. The Open Letter states that for the past few months, the Indonesian government has imposed a ban on foreign journalists visiting Aceh. All foreign journalists wishing to visit Indonesia have had an additional note written on their visa by hand to the effect that the visa is not valid for visits to Aceh, Maluku and Irian Jaya. Kontras-Aceh has been informed that several foreign journalists who were intending to visit Aceh since the start of 2001 have been confronted with this problem. This has come as a great surprise because there has been no formal announcement from the Indonesian government that such a policy decision has been taken.Kontras-Aceh herewith: 1. Calls on the Indonesian Government, in particular the Department of Foreign Affairs, to issue a clarification about this ban. 2. The government must make it clear to the public whether this is the official policy of the government or not. Until now, there has been no indication from the government that a ban on foreign journalists to visit areas of conflict, including Aceh, is in force. Kontras-Aceh feels that if indeed such a ban is in force, it means that the Indonesian government is not willing to take responsibility for the situation here. If this were not the case, the government would not seek to hide the facts and would be very open about the circumstances in these areas of conflict. Banda Aceh, 24 January 2001 Kontras Aceh, Aguswandi Coordinator TAPOL, the Indonesia Human Rights Campaign 111 Northwood Road, Thornton Heath, Croydon CR7 8HW, UK. tel 020 8771 2904 fax 020 8653 0322 e-mail: tapol@gn.apc.org END top