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Al-Jazeera cancels Papua documentary screening
Ary Hermawan , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Thu, 07/02/2009 11:12 PM | World
In what seems to be a last minute decision, television news network Al-Jazeera English decided not to premiere on Thursday a highly-sensitive documentary highlighting the plight of Papuans. It also removed the film’s synopsis from the list of feature films it will broadcast, which is published on its website.It remains unclear, however, whether the Qatar-based TV-channel had postponed or completely called off the screening of the controversial documentary that will likely disturb the government in Jakarta. The Jakarta Post tried to reach Al-Jazeera officials for confirmation Thursday but to no avail.
The film’s screening is extremely sensitive as Indonesia will hold its second presidential election on July 8.
Titled Pride of Warriors, the documentary was directed by Australian filmmaker Jono van Hest, who claimed to have smuggled six video cameras into the troubled West Papua province. He said the filmmaking was inspired by the arrival of 43 Papuans seeking refugee status from the Australian government in 2006.
Van Hest has not replied to emails from the Post for comments.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Teuku Faizasyah said the government had not made any contact with Al-Jazeera to protest the TV channel’s decision to air the documentary and to request it cancel the screening.
“I do not know if they have called it off or postponed it. I waited for the film but it was not aired,” he said, adding the government had been disturbed by the documentary.
“It is a sensational film that is very one-sided. If it is true that the filmmaker had smuggled the cameras then he has violated Indonesian law and also the principles of journalism.”
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Amy Huon (not verified) — Fri, 07/03/2009 - 10:00pm
I hope that Al-Jazeera reschedule this documentary. I would really like to see it. More importantly I would like to see a world where the media is not censored by vested interests.
WPAN (not verified) — Fri, 07/03/2009 - 9:36pm
In response to Mr. Ali's comment ... all Papuan's would like to improve their economic and social status ... especially in what they consider to be their own homeland – Papua!
The Indonesian government has been present in Papua for over 40-years ... PT Freeport has been a major fiscal contributor to the Indonesian Government, yet in Papua there is a disproportional bias against ethnic Papuans in all areas: education, healthcare, and employment.
Papuans feel that they are treated as second-class immigrants, more like stray dogs, in their own homeland, and if and when they speak out about their frustrations over their situation they are treated as political criminals.
West Papua Action Network (USA)
We are approaching the first-year anniversary of the death of Opinus Tabuni. (A Message To The UN From The Family Of Opinus Tabuni: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtvbQjFiztU )
Opinus was just one Papuan from an unknown number of Papuans that have suffered injustice in Papua, it is therefore not hard to understand why many Papuans are no longer scared to talk about their experiences and the injustices that frequently occur in Papua.
“Pride of Warriors” may not be the Red and White that the Indonesian Government would like to see, but we are no longer in the Suharto era!
Jules Cooper (not verified) — Fri, 07/03/2009 - 5:38pm
we are outraged of this censorship by Indonesia.
It is clear that the foreign ministry pressure has prohibited this documentary from going out to a worldwide audience.
If there is peace and freedom in West Papua, why must they stop people from reporting this? In fact their desperate censorship only shows the truth that Indonesia continues to perpetrate against human rights in West Papua. Instead of covering this up, why not they do something to stop it?
All journalists must double their effort to reveal this truth which Indonesia wants to hide from us! Please make this a big issue so that they may not vanish the news about human rights along with the people of West Papua.
Write to Al Jazeera to request that they play the film and stand up for freedom of speech and human rights for all the oppressed peoples!
Ziad Faraj (not verified) — Fri, 07/03/2009 - 3:58pm
One of the common sense things is to be annoyed if someone dumbs the voice of freedom, but what is really maddening is that AlJazeera which is a revealer of the truth would dump the voice of freedom and prevent it from being revealed ........."I doubt it".
I hope this would be only a kind of postponing for a technical fault, and after that it would be aired as soon as possible.
Minke (not verified) — Fri, 07/03/2009 - 2:36pm
The filmmaker realy violated an indonisan law. But it is a law that violats the freedom fo the press. And thats the real crime, not to smuggle, but the law.
Which principles of journalism he violated? It is a very importent principle of journalism to look very close at things somebody wants to hide, althogh it is a mighty government and military that has something to hide.
Damai (not verified) — Fri, 07/03/2009 - 12:10pm
There is must be something of it so the Indonesian government is worry about it. Smuggling is the best way to have any data and fact truly from Papua since no access allowed by the government for any foreign journalists to come Papua.
Just tell the truth, and let it out and speak for itself :)
River Wilkey (not verified) — Fri, 07/03/2009 - 11:55am
If there is not one media source that has the courage to show the truth we shall all live in deceipt. The oppression of the Papuans by Indonesian military is as real as you can get. The cancellation of the documentary Pride Of Warriors is an outrage to all. Al-Jazeera must re-schedule the release of this film.
Ingin tahu tetapi tak heran (not verified) — Fri, 07/03/2009 - 11:54am
seems like alJazeera aren't the only ones scared of talking about reality in Papua.
a very interesting development indeed. It is kind of Ironic the program in question is "Witness". Is this yet another case of the TNI intimidating a witness to human rights abuse? Seems to happen all the time in this country, when are we going to shake of the Suharto era?
SO Al Jazeera, who pride themselves on being an alternative voice, have decided that this film will upset the TNI butchers too much. Al Jazeera are really not the champions of freedom of speech or journalistic integrity after all, they are just the same as any other Eurocentric colonial media empire after all their posturing, just as much in the service of human rights abusers as CNN and Fox and BBC. This is the network that went in saying that it was on the side of the oppressed, seems like they are now on the side of the oppressor. Another sad day for press freedom.
Reading between those lines, one has to ask exactly what kind of direct or indirect, implicit or explicit, pressure has been brought on Al Jazeera by the Indonesian government? Were issues of access to Indonesia raised or implied?
And who is the real villain in this piece? Is it a filmmaker who had to smuggle cameras because the Indonesian military keep out all foreign media, and arrest and disappear anyone helping a journalist? Is it the Indonesian media in general for being too timid to properly raise the issues of human rights abuses in Papua? Or is it the current Indonesian government, scared of a military led nationalist diversionary backlash via Prabowo or WIranto next week? After all Kopassus are present in the highlands of Papua handing out Prabowo's electoral material.
The question is, is this kind of censorship really in the interests of the ummah? Does this reflect well on the Islamic values Al-JAzeera says guide it? Surely if all this is merely a propaganda film, then it should be out in the open and discussed as such?
It will be interesting to see if this comment is published here, to see whether press freedom affects JP too.
John Ralph (not verified) — Fri, 07/03/2009 - 11:39am
There are two issues here.
Firstly, the world wants SBY to be re-elected for reasons that are obvious to all. Hence even the rest of the Muslim world wants SBY to have the best chance. The consequences of SBY not winning would be a disaster for Indonesia.
The second point is that West Papua was stolen from its people. This was with the support of the USA and indeed Australia and others. There was the commercial interest of Freeport and the Soeharto family interests at stake, and of course the so called communist threat.
Indonesia is happy to go on about its colonist past but of course that does not apply to Indonesia colonising West Papua, something that is 100% against Islam.
As they say in Indonesia - money talks, and bull... walks.
Esther Anderson (not verified) — Fri, 07/03/2009 - 8:22am
Re Foreign Ministry spokesperson Teuku Faizasyah’s comment that filming in Papua is ‘violating the principles of journalism.’ On the contrary, reporting events in Papua, despite official attempts to keep them from media attention, is showing journalistic integrity. And why is it illegal for journalists to bring cameras to Papua? What is the Indonesian government trying to hide by banning filming in Papua? And what is Al Jazeerah's motive for the last-minute withdrawal of this documentary? It's a strange decision for a television news network to suddenly withdraw a widely publicised, very topical documentary that would be guaranteed a large audience.