Arya Dipa, Bandung – Bandung journalists are urging Indonesian media to stop covering Indonesian Military (TNI) events, in protest following assaults against reporters in Riau.

"We call on our fellow journalists to stop covering TNI ceremonies until the institution has thoroughly investigated the assaults," said the head of the Bandung branch of the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI), Zaki Yamani, on the sidelines of a demonstration against TNI intimidation on Wednesday.

Head of Bandung's Indonesian Television Journalists Association (IJTI), Imam S. Nurdin, said the officers found guilty of committing the assaults against the journalists should be punished. "The boycott should last until the perpetrators stand trial," he said.

Imam deplored the military officers' physical violations. "This incident has widened the gap between the military and civilians," he added.

On Tuesday, several journalists were assaulted by Air Force personnel when covering the crash of a fighter jet in Riau. Five reporters – Didik Herwanto (Riau Pos daily); Andika Pratama (Vokal daily); F. B. Rian Anggoro (Antara news agency); Robi Fahrianto (Riau TV), and M. Arivin (TV One) – were beaten and kicked while their cameras were seized.

A photograph and a video, which captured the moment when an officer grabbed Didik around the throat, were widely circulated among journalists.

Bystanders who took pictures of the plane's wreckage with their cell phones were also beaten by military officers. One of them was Mancon Fernando, 21, a university student in Riau, who sustained an injury to his mouth after being beaten by the soldiers and had his cell phone confiscated.

Journalists from Jakarta, Medan, Surakarta and other cities across the country are planning a series of demonstrations on Wednesday against the military brutality. (lfr)