Monday, April 12, 2010

Nairn interviewed

Allan Nairn was interviewed in the Jakarta Post today about his reporting on targeted assasinations in Aceh last year. Here is an excerpt:
Critics say that because you refuse to reveal your source, you may have made it all up.

Well, I have two answers for that. One, if I’m making it up, the TNI should follow through on their own announcement to arrest me and try me publicly for libel. If they believe their denial, if they believe I’m lying, go ahead. In fact, they had a chance to arrest me last week when I made a TV appearance.

Two, why don’t they check and see if I’m also making up the names of those 10 people who were secretly detained for killing Tumijan? Was Gen. Aditya also making up the facts of those people? Was Gen. Sunarko also making them up?

The bottom line is, if you believe what you’re saying, try me publicly. I will stand before the judges and announce the details. Don’t take the cowardly way out by arresting me privately or simply deporting me. That would be a tacit admission that I’m right. And I think they already did that, since the TNI was apparently afraid to face me, not only in court but also on TV, at least so far. If they’re so confident about my facts being wrong, they should welcome the opportunity to appear on TV. It’s only logical. 
Nairn has recently done a number of radio interviews in the U.S. and Australia, here are links to a few:

Worldview (WBEZ Chicago): Journalist Uncovers Indonesian Militarys Links to Civilian Killings (April 6) (with Northwestern University's Jeffrey Winters)

Asia Pacific Forum (WBAI, New York) Indonesia: Military Assassinations and a Journalist Under Fire
(April 6) (with ETAN's John M. Miller)

The Wire (Australia): Indonesian military threatens to sue journalist (March 25)

No comments:

Post a Comment