Cowards. A disgrace to journalism.


Al-Jazeera cancels premier, removes synopsis from website

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.”

well, that makes sense. smuggling cameras into a country to reveal a cover-up is completely unethical.

Al Jazeera's original spiel:

Pride of Warriors
Thursday, July 2

Fleeing what they saw as an oppressive Indonesian regime, 43 West Papuans headed for Australia in a flimsy outrigger canoe in search of political asylum and to draw international attention to their plight. They were granted refugee status.

Inspired by their story and with an Indonesian ban on foreign media, Australian filmmaker Jono Van Hest smuggled six video cameras into West Papua. A year later van Hest returned to retrieve the tapes shot on the smuggled cameras to reveal untold stories of the West Papuan resistance.

Pride of Warriors can be seen from Thursday, July 2 at the following times GMT: Thursday: 0830 and 1900; Friday: 0330, 1400 and 2330.



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Plus there's a Facebook link with details:
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pride-of-Warriors/92396127850

What law has beenbreached? If they were bought locally or else were declared to customs on the way into the country, then anyone can take a camera anywhere they want. What bollocks.

Might is right.

My thoughts exactly.

Don't you hate people who post comments just agreeing or disagreeing with an earlier post without contributing anything to the debate.

my thoughts exactly.

+1

yep

LOL

If the film maker was too biased that would be a disgrace to journalism as would bowing to political pressure.

Can you be TOO biased? Surely bias of any kind indicates one-sidedness?

There's the small question of the facts of course.

Journalists are banned from entering the occupied territory. Any footage, biased or not - and it probably isn't (much) - is newsworthy. Publish and be damned.

The Google approach to China. The oppressors win. Nice one.

east timor and papua have long been the focus of "motivated" freelance journalists. and it's not hard to paint the situation in black and white; black hat oppressors (indonesian military) verses white hat freedom fighters (OPM).

so what would be the outcome should these independent documentary filmmakers get their wish? a free East Timor? more like a UN colony. a "free" Papua would be under UN subjugation for many decades until it was ready for independence. a quick glance over the border is testament to what an independent Papua would look like, only much, much worse.

so yes, the TNI are brutal thugs. so what else is new?

I agree with your point. Ideally, the entire country should revert to how it was a 100 years ago. Bushmen and virgin rainforest.

it that was truly an option, fine. but it's not. if they really want to be an independent state, then they should fight for it, and not become a UN welfare dependent for the next 50 years. if they aren't strong enough and smart enough to take control of their own affairs, then why should the world be expected to care for them?

It's a catch 22. The West Papuans have been ignored for years viz a vis their institutional development, education, etc. so given independence they would implode in a riot of penis gourd shrapnel. Thus the reasoning is they should stay with RI and suffer even more shit. Pah, That's surely a reason to help them in their struggle, being 'strong' enough and 'smart' enough is purely down to their social and cultural development, unless Kuku's going to go off on some evolutionary bell curve bee's wank. Why should the world be expected to care for the world's poor and oppressed? Why indeed. And by the way, I believe they are fighting for it.

"fighting for it" means more that merely taking up arms. that's easy. any fool can fire a gun. rational social and political organisation is quite another matter. unless the OPM can demonstrate it's ability to organise, then it's claim as the alternative govt is completely hollow. unless, of course, their ambition is to become a "welfare state" financed by the UN, and in particular, Australia.

but then, Australia already bankrolls failed states throughout the region: 30% of PNGs budget comes from australia; solomons is a failed state almost completely supported by australia; vanuatu would fall over in an instant without australian props; east timor is almost entirely financed by australia, despite the bleating, hypocritical portuguese, and of course a whole slew of other micro states in polynesia and melanesia which are jointly propped up by australia and new zealand.

Yeah of course it's completely hollow because they get nothing in the way of social institutions or social capital from Indonesia. As I said it's a catch 22, but is that reason not to try and help groups to organise? If it takes 50 years so be it, you've got to start somewhere. I'd reckon outside help with education and popular organisations is the way to go rather than kicking off with a revolution. Circumnavigating this country's parlous and iniquitous regional body politic is going to be the only way. Unless you're suggesting they should just shut up and stay like that forever. Popular struggle is the only way to effect change and what's more it has done so many times in the last 100 years all over the world. Comrades. I'll be giving a talk down at the docks later if anyone's interested. Then we raid the booze containers.

The UN is better than Indonesia, China, Malaysia and Singapore. Let it revert back to jungle.

Kill everyone in the fuckin' world. It's an idea whose time has come.

i have an friend, and academic, whose principal thesis is that the human species is defective and is destined to die out in less than a 1000 years.

1000 years is giving a bit much credit.