Tempo, ICW and the Police

Last week, 30,000 copies of Tempo magazine's June 28-July 4 edition were missing on the first day of their
circulation in Jakarta and vicinity.

According to the news media reports, those magazines were purchased by some men in Police uniforms and riding Police cars, in an effort to prevent the magazine from circulating to the public.

In reaction to this allegation, National Police Chief PR Inspector General Edward Aritonang told reporters that the Police felt humiliated by the picture on the front cover of said magazine which depicts a Police officer pulling some Piggy Banks, titled: "The Fat Bank  Deposits of Police Officer."

The Police and Tempo were about to settle their disputes amicably, mediated by the Press Council,  when two mysterious men riding on a motor cycle threw two Molotov Cocktail bombs to Tempo's office in Jakarta last Tuesday.

On Thursday morning, an activist of the Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW) i.e. Tama Satya Lankun, was stabbed by some unknown men while he was riding motor cycle. The reason is still unknown, but his colleagues in ICW told reporters that Tama has been investigating on the treasures of Police high ranking officers.

Meanwhile, President Susilo Bambang Yudoyono (SBY) says that the attacks on Tempo and ICW activist may have been carried out by a third party, and he therefore orders the Police to investigate this case.

I hope that the investigation would reveal what has actually happened.


Related articles :
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What's wrong with Tempo ?

Yesterday, subscribers of the Tempo magazine in Jakarta and vicinity were puzzled by the disappearance of the weekly magazine  that is circulated every Monday.

According to the news media, the disappearance was caused by massive purchase of the said magazine by mysterious men, including those wearing the costumes of Police officers. They speculate that the Police want to prevent the circulation of the latest edition of said magazine which titled : “ Fat Bank Account of a Police Officer ”.

In another report, the Deputy Chief of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) i.e. Haryono Umar, was quoted as saying that thje KPK is investigating the Rp 95 Billion (US$ 10.45 Million) bank account in the name of a  two stars General of the Police.

However, the Public Relation Officer of National Police Headquarters, Inspector General Edward Aritonang  denied these reports saying there has never been any instruction to purchase the magazines. He also said that it is not possible to shut information to the public  He further said that this might just be some sort of a marketing strategy (by the magazine), which can be seen from the fact that its price has jumped to Rp 100.000,- four times its normal price.

Until Tuesday morning, the magazine is still not avaliable at the news stands. However, the seller can get one for you if you are willing to pay Rp 100.000,-
   
In response to the above, management of Tempo magazine decided to reprint another 30,000 copies of the missing edition.

I hope that Tempo, which was forced to stop operation during the Soeharto regime, would be able to find out and explain to the public what exactly happened to its missing magazines.

Related news reports :
-  Pemborong Tempo Naik Mobil Polsek
-  Temanya Seksi, 'Tempo' Rp 100.000,-, Mau?
-  Mabes : Tidak ada Perintah Borong Tempo
-  Tempo Raib, Polri Anggap itu Pemasaran
-  Tempo Magazine to Reprint its Missing Edition.
-  Graft Probe into Rp 95b in Police General's Account