5 January 2005
JOURNALISTS AMONG VICTIMS OF TSUNAMI DISASTER
Dozens of journalists and media workers were among the victims of last week's devastating tsunami disaster that has so far claimed the lives of over 150,000 people in South Asia, including staff members of "Serambi Indonesia," the only daily newspaper in the Indonesian province of Aceh, report IFEX members.
The Alliance of Independent Journalists (Aliansi Jurnalis Independen, AJI) is appealing for financial assistance to help the families of journalists who have been killed or have gone missing in Indonesia. AJI has 36 members in the affected areas, which include Lhokseumawe and Banda Aceh. It says three of its 25 members in Banda Aceh are confirmed dead and eight are missing.
Financial assistance can be sent to:
Account Number: 446-1479
Beneficiary Name: ALLIANCE OF INDEPENDENT JOURNALISTS
Name of Bank: BNI Senayan Branch
SWIFT Code: BNINIDJA
Address of Bank: Jl. Gatot Subroto Kav. 55, Central Jakarta 10210
Contact AJI at: Jl. Danau Poso Blok D1 no. 29, Bendungan Hilir, Jakarta, Indonesia 10210; Tel: +62 21 5790 0489; Fax: +62 21 573 4581; E-mail: sekretariatnya_AJI@yahoo.com
In Banda Aceh, the tsunami swept through the offices of "Serambi Indonesia," reports the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ). At least 80 staff members are missing or feared dead.
Since its establishment in the early 1990s, the Indonesian-language newspaper has been one of the only sources of information from Aceh, a province ravaged by armed conflict. The publication has been subjected to numerous violent attacks, threats and intimidation from members of the Indonesian military forces and from separatist Free Aceh Movement (GAM) rebels.
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) has collected 18,000 Euro (US$24,000) from trade union affiliates around the world to support the families of journalists affected by the disaster. IFJ says up to 200 journalists and media workers are reported missing in Indonesia.
See:
- AJI Appeal:
http://www.newssafety.com/stories/insi/indo31.htm- IFJ:
http://www.ifj.org/default.asp?Index=2884&Language=EN- CPJ:
http://www.cpj.org/news/2004/Indonesia30dec04na.html- AP Story on "Serambi Indonesia":
http://www.newssafety.com/stories/ap/aceh03.htm- Human Rights Watch:
http://www.hrw.org/english/docs/2004/12/29/9942.htm(Image courtesy of UNESCO)