Press council condemns arson attack against 'Tempo'

Press Council chairman Bagir Mana said Tuesday he condemned the arson attack on Tempo magazine office earlier in the day, which he deemed a threat to press freedom.

“It's doesn't make sense in this era of free speech and press freedom that this kind of violence can still happen,” he said as quoted by Antara news agency on the sidelines of a journalism event in Serang, Banten.

“This attack is not only a threat to Tempo, but also national press freedom,” he said.

Three molotov cocktails were thrown at Tempo magazine office on Jl. Proklamasi, Menteng, South Jakarta, early Tuesday. There was no injury in the incident.

The incident follows Tempo's last week’s edition that ran a cover story on the suspicious bank accounts of several high-ranking officers, a controversial issue that has been in the media spotlight since 2005.