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French journalist tries to avoid deportation
When French journalist and lecturer Baudouin Koenig and his student Carole Lorthiois arrived in Indonesia a month ago, they thought Indonesia, the world’s third-largest democracy, applied press freedom, as the government itself often claims
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hen French journalist and lecturer Baudouin Koenig and his student Carole Lorthiois arrived in Indonesia a month ago, they thought Indonesia, the world’s third-largest democracy, applied press freedom, as the government itself often claims. What they did not know was the freedom stops at Papua, where the two were arrested for filming a political demonstration.
On Wednesday evening the two were seeking to escape deportation after meeting with officials from the central immigration office in Jakarta, following their arrival from the Papuan capital of Jayapura.
“The central immigration office gives them three days to prepare for the deportation on Friday,” Koenig’s interpreter Halidah Leclerc, told The Jakarta Post. “But we are still seeking for solutions to complete the filming.”
Head of the Jayapura immigration office Robert E. Silitonga, said earlier that Koenig and Lorthiois would be immediately deported back to France for violating their visas on arrival in Jakarta.
Halidah said Koenig had secured a 45-day visa to film in Indonesia and had spent 30 days in the country so far.
Silitonga said the two French nationals were only permitted to shoot their documentary film in Sorong, not in Jayapura, and were not permitted to cover political protests.
On Tuesday Koenig filmed a rally held at the Papua legislative council in Jayapura by the West Papua National Committee (KNPB).
Silitonga said that aside from being deported, they would also be blacklisted from entering the country for a year.
In his press statement sent to the Post, Koenig said he had worked with an Indonesian press card and a press visa valid for all the country except Poso in Central Sulawesi.
However, AP reported that Lorthiois only had a tourist visa.
“I negotiated permission with the Indonesian authorities in February 2010. The subject was clear: portraying the emerging economic power, the G20 member, the biggest Muslim democracy in the world in the mirror of Pancasila and democracy; from Aceh to Papua,” Koenig wrote.
“I came to Papua to film the census and the process of dialogue was opened 10 days ago by the Justice and Human Rights Ministry.
My only fault was to cross a demonstration on the way to the hotel and as any journalist would have done, I stopped the car and filmed.”
Koenig said he had never thought filming a simple rally would mean a violation, given he had enjoyed freedom elsewhere.
“It’s ironic. I’ve been accused of intending to portray the country in a bad light by showing that people are allowed to protest in a calm and peaceful atmosphere and I was arrested in front of 50 journalists, photographers and cameramen.”
