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Alert

IFJ demands arrest of Indonesian soldiers responsible for killing journalist

(IFJ/IFEX) - The following is an IFJ press release:





**Updates IFEX alerts of 12 October, 30, 23, 22 and 21 September 1999**

Media Release October 14th 1999

IFJ Demands Arrest of Indonesian Soldiers Responsible for Killing Journalist

The International Federation of Journalists, the world's largest
organisation of journalists, today called on the Indonesian Government to
arrest and bring to trial the Indonesian soldiers that are responsible for
killing Dutch reporter Sander Thoenes.

"This was a brutal and horrifying murder accompanied by gruesome
mutilation", said Aidan White, the General Secretary of the IFJ, "the
Indonesian Government must act immediately to bring those that have been
identified as responsible to trial".

Dutch investigating journalists, Kees Schaepman and Arnold Karskens, who
travelled to East Timor, with the support of the IFJ, have returned with
strong evidence of Indonesian army involvement in the murder of Thoenes, a
correspondent for the Financial Times and Dutch newspaper Vrij Nederland.
"We congratulate them and the Dutch Association of Journalists for their
efforts", said the IFJ, "this makes the case against the Indonesian army
unanswerable".

Early reports that Sander Thoenes, who was killed on 21 September 1999 in a
suburb in Dili, had been the victim of an attack by uniformed men, has been
confirmed by various eyewitnesses, amongst whom were his motorcycle driver.

The IFJ is writing to President Bacharuddin Jusuf Habibie to demand
immediate police action. The IFJ is also pressing for action to identify the
killers of Agus Mulyawan, one of a group of humanitarian workers murdered
while assisting refugees who had fled the armed militias, following last
month's massive popular vote for independence of East Timor.

"There must be no killing of journalists with impunity. These men were
killed by ruthless and undemocratic forces who must be brought to justice",
said the IFJ.

The IFJ is the world's largest organisation of journalists, representing
more than 450,000 journalists in 101 countries.