C. Jakarta District Court adjourns Wikileaks trial

Central Jakarta District Court representative judge Heru Susanto on Tuesday cancelled a scheduled hearing of a case implicating two Australian newspapers, The Age and the Sydney Morning Herald, and the US Embassy, concerning information on President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono that was leaked via Wikileaks.

The hearing was postponed for a week due to the absence of the presiding judge and official representatives from the two newspapers and the embassy.

An unofficial representative from The Age, Ahmad Arifin, who attended the hearing, said he had come to the hearing as a show of respect.

Ahmad said he had not received any summons from the court.

“We came after we received information [on the hearing] from other sources,” he said.

The case surrounds the publication of an article by The Age, which cites US embassy cables leaked by Wikileaks saying that Yudhoyono personally intervened to influence prosecutors and judges to protect corrupt political figures and pressure his adversaries.

The reports also angered many Indonesians, including the the State-Owned Enterprise's Labor Union, which later filed the lawsuit against the two newspapers and the US Embassy. (rpt)