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French journalists were reporting: Expert
The activities carried out by French journalists Thomas Charles Dandois and Marie Valentine Bourrat during their stay in Papua were of a journalistic nature, in line with Press Law No
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he activities carried out by French journalists Thomas Charles Dandois and Marie Valentine Bourrat during their stay in Papua were of a journalistic nature, in line with Press Law No. 40/1999, said a witness.
The matter was disclosed in a subsequent trial on the misuse of visas by the two French journalists at the Jayapura District Court on Wednesday.
The trial was presided over by judge Marthinus Bala, alongside panel judges Maria Sitanggang and Irianto.
'Both of them carried out journalistic activities in accordance with Press Law No. 40/1999, which covers seeking, owning, keeping, processing and airing information, be it news, oral, audio, visual, audio and visual and distribution in print, electronic and other media,' expert witness Siti Sofia Sudarma, director of information and media at the directorate general of information and public diplomacy at the Foreign Ministry.
She explained that had the journalists planned to cover news in Indonesia, they should have applied for a permit at the Indonesian representative office in their place of origin and sent it to the Foreign Ministry for processing to obtain clearance. She added the process goes through 18 ministries and relevant agencies.
Dandois and Bourrat, added Sofia, did not follow the correct procedures and entered the country on tourist visas to carry out journalistic activities. She said the Indonesian government would allow the foreign journalists to carry out news coverage in Papua provided they met the existing requirements and guidelines to do so.
