INDONESIA: Chicago Tribune foreign correspondent detained, removed from Aceh city

Michael Lev, the Tribune's Beijing correspondent, was among the first journalists on the scene in Aceh--and also one of the first to encounter the Indonesian military since Aceh was opened up to journalists; Lev writes about being detained in the middle of a crisis

Friday, January 14, 2005

By Michael Lev
Special to AsiaMedia 

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Editor's Note:
Michael Lev, the Beijing correspondent for the Chicago Tribune, and his Indonesia translator, Handewi Pramesti, were detained by the Indonesian military on December 29. Lev was reporting on the tsunami devestation in Meulaboh, a city in West Aceh. Two days after the tsunami struck, the Indonesian government opened Aceh to foreign journalists and aid workers on the provision that they submit an application and obtain a pass from local military authorities, a process that could take two weeks according to officials. On January 11, the Indonesian government also began requiring that relief workers travel with military escorts in areas thought to be inhabited by insurgents.
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I arrived in Indonesia on Dec. 27 and made my way, with a translator, to Meulaboh on Dec. 29. I reported from there for about 40 minutes before being detained by the military. We were kept overnight at a military base in Meulaboh (the translator and I were never separated from each other) but were never explicitly given a reason for being held, other than the fact that the military didn't want us in Meulaboh, and didn't want to let us go.

I was among the first reporters to reach Meulaboh and I expect the military was surprised to see us, since they are used to Aceh being closed to reporters without official approval. In this case, we understood the area to be open to journalists because of the tsunami, but either they didn't know or didn't care.

The following morning, we were flown from Meulaboh to Banda Aceh by helicopter, held for hours at the airport in Banda Aceh and then flown to Medan on the night of Dec. 30. I was told, second-hand, that I would be turned over to immigration for deportation. No specific grounds were offered, and I question whether the military would have any jurisdiction in this area.

Arriving in Medan by an Indonesian Hercules (A.F. cargo jet), a helpful military officer reported my situation to the American consulate in Medan. That evening, I was in the custody of a military intelligence officer at the airport when the American consul general arrived at the airport.

Immediately after landing, while waiting on the tarmac, I had a few minutes to myself and a cell phone signal, so I quickly called my wife in Beijing and dictated my Meulaboh story to her, so it could be published on Friday, in case I was to be held overnight again.

This wasn't necessary, it turned out. When turned over to the  intelligence officer, he indicated that we was willing to let us go. Perhaps this was what he thought was the right thing to do--or perhaps he was influenced by the fact that the American consul was on his way.  A few minutes later, the consul arrived at the airport and quickly arranged for my immediate release.

The whole situation was handled informally and arbitrarily by high-ranking generals in Aceh who never spoke directly to me or seemed interested in explaining their perspective to me. Based on the questions asked of us, I suspect the army was only interested in how we were able to get through military checkpoints on the road to Meulaboh. The answer is we stopped at each one and were permitted to proceed. I think I was punished for arriving early on the scene.

With my story set for Friday's paper, my fixer and I regrouped in Medan for a day and then returned by plane to Banda Aceh to continue our reporting, without further hindrance. There were no repercussions, for me or my fixer. There was just lost time and my unjust and unnecessary detention. I was held (meaning my passport was taken from me and I was told I could not leave) with my fixer for 28 hours in all.

One obvious point to make: the military manhours spent on me at a time of Indonesians in crisis were appalling, to say nothing of the jet fuel or the fact that we took up two spaces on a cargo plane that was filled with refugees. Two victims of the tsunami were not on that plane to Medan because we were there.

We were never physically mistreated in any way during our detention.  We had access to food and water, a toilet and a place to sleep. An officer kept watch on us.

The whole situation was a folly. Nobody cared that a reporter from the Chicago Tribune was in Indonesia to report on a tragic disaster that required the world's attention and the world's help. They were only interested in punishing me for whatever reasons they had. Within days the military came to understand our role and, at least for a while, became cooperative with foreign reporters.

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Michael Lev's work, including his reports from Aceh, can be found on the Chicago Tribune website.

Date Posted: 1/14/2005