Journalist's murder may be related to news coverage

Niken Prathivi ,  The Jakarta Post ,  Denpasar   |  Tue, 04/07/2009 2:29 PM  |  The Archipelago

Bali Police chief Insp. Gen. Teuku Ashikin Husein on Monday said the murder of AA Gede Bagus Narendra Prabangsa may have been related to news coverage he was handling in his capacity as editor of the local Radar Bali daily.

Husein's statement differed greatly from one he issued previously, in mid-February, that claimed the Prabangsa's murder had nothing to do with his job.

"As a result of our ongoing investigations we found a possible link between his death and his work related to news coverage of a graft case," Husein said.

"However, the new finding is not yet conclusive, since logically Prabangsa's job as an editor was not directly related to the news coverage. Supposing he was involved in the story, he would have been doing the editing, not the writing."

"We still have to work on the case to find the real motive behind his murder, and we don't have an exact time frame to settle the case. The point is, we are determined to solve this crime," Husein said.

Prabangsa's body was found dead on Feb. 16, floating in the Bungsil Strait, off Karangasem regency, after he had been missing for six days.

An autopsy performed at Sanglah General Hospital stated that the 41-year-old had suffered blunt force trauma to the head, with bruising on his face and head, and his right arm was also broken.

It was also said that the victim, whose body showed signs of a struggle, was apparently still breathing when he was thrown into the water.

Initial police investigations into the murder were dogged by several rumors, including one that tied Prabangsa to an extramarital affair with a female staff member of the Bali Legislative Council. The woman's husband had reportedly learned about the affair a few days before Prabangsa went missing.

Another rumor said Prabangsa was an editor who took advantage of his position, and allegedly blackmailed a high-ranking official of the local education agency in his hometown, Bangli. Charging the official Rp 40 million, Prabangsa allegedly used his authority as an editor to can news about a graft case that implicated the official.

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