JAKARTA (Jakarta Globe / Pacific Media Watch): South Jakarta police say they will launch an investigation into an attack against journalists allegedly by a group of high school students.
South Jakarta police chief senior commander Imam Sugianto said students of state high school SMA 6 in South Jakarta would be questioned about their involvement in the attack.
“We will launch an investigation against anybody involved in the attack on the journalists,” he said.
Earlier on Monday, the national police chief, General Timur Pradopo, said that any high school students involved in the attack would be brought to justice.
Timur told reporters before joining a cabinet meeting that police would collaborate with the school in the investigation.
Earlier attack
Students from SMA 6 high school allegedly assaulted journalists from various media organisations who staged a protest against an earlier attack last week on a TV journalist implicating students at the school in violence.
The journalists who were victims in the incident are Panca Syaukani from Media Indonesia, Aldi Gultom from Rakyat Merdeka, Wahyu from Elshinta Radio, Anton from Metro TV, Banar Fil Ardhi from Kompas Images and Media Indonesia photographer Yudhistiro Pranoto.
Yudhistiro is now receiving intensive care at the Pertamina Hospital.
On Friday, some students seized video tape from Trans7 journalist, Oktaviardi, when he recorded a brawl involving students of SMA 6 and the nearby SMA 70.
More journalists came to the school on Monday to stage a protest and ask the school to take responsibility for the incident.
“I was beaten while taking pictures of today’s protest,” said Panca, as quoted by kompas.com.
'Brutal treatment'
Eyewitnesses to the attack said that the students were brutal in their treatment of the journalists.
A throng of students chased the protesting journalists down through the back alleys of the Blok M shopping district.
The students appeared undeterred by a number of warning shots fired by police officers who arrived at the scene to break up the crowd.
In photographs taken by Banar on the kompas.com website, several students were seen beating and kicking some of the journalists who were being shielded by police officers.
Banar himself suffered cuts and bruises to his face while fellow photographer Fransiskus Simbolon of Kontan Weekly left the scene unharmed.
“After taking some pictures, I took a break and bought some drinks. Suddenly from two directions, these students appeared and chased us down. I ran away and fell and they started mobbing me. Thank God local residents and fellow journalists came and rescued me,” Banar said.
A poster on the Twitter social network site, claiming to be one of the SMA 6 students, said he was proud of what he had done.
In the Twitter feed the poster, whose online name is Gilang_Perdanaa, is reported to have said that he was pleased about beating up the journalists.
“I feel relieved now after beating up the journalists. I was so angry,” the poster said as quoted by kompas.com.
He went on to say that people should be more careful when trying to expose how tough the neighborhood around SMA 6 was.
“Mahakam neighborhood is tough, man, don’t try to disrupt the peace, even journalists could be victims,” he said.
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