Jakarta, Indonesia – contradictory advice as to if they have permission to report the news here has journalists on board.
According to a law which entered into force in March, journalists from other countries must obtain the authorization of the police to present themselves in certain regions of Indonesia. Police said the change adds a protective layer, but journalists say it will probably be used to stifle reports.
Since the implementation of the law, the police have published advice saying that a permit was not necessary.
According to a press release from the Listyo Sigit Prabowo police chief on the official website of this department, “without the police license, foreign journalists can always exercise their functions in Indonesia as long as they do not violate applicable laws and regulations.”
But the law explicitly stipulates: “To carry out journalistic activities, the following requirements must be met: an activity permit as a journalist issued on the basis of legal regulations.”
Journalists say that the police declaration that the permit is not required is intentionally misleading. The rule published in March is, on the basis of his language, compulsory, explains that Abdul Manan, president of the law and the laws of the press council of Indonesia.
“It’s not a gray area,” he says.
The police will probably not apply the rule right away, he says, but “it can be like a backup card, which they can use whenever they need it.”
Global Press Journal asked for an interview with the police agency, but its spokesperson, Sandi Nugroho, did not respond.
Another obstacle
Even before the new law and police councils, it was not easy for journalists from other countries to obtain permission to report here. The Ministry of Communication and Information regulates the current system, known as Clearing houseTo coordinate and supervise them. The forum consists of around 18 institutions, including a police institution and the state intelligence agency, Badan Intelijen Negara.
To receive a journalist visa, candidates must obtain invitation letters from Indonesian officials and go through the compensation house, whose processes and standards have never been public. In some cases, getting around the compensation house takes years.
The new law will add another obstacle to the already complicated process, explains an Australian journalist who reported on Indonesia. She spoke under the guise of anonymity for fear that she will not be authorized to return to the country if she spoke of challenges to obtain permission to report here. She worked in Indonesia for 15 years under a journalist visa and said that the situation was difficult under President Joko Widodo, known as Jokowi, who governed from 2014 to 2024. Now, she says: “It becomes more and more difficult.”
An independent European journalist in Indonesia, who spoke subject to anonymity by fear of expulsion, says that the process of obtaining a journalist visa is so complex that it works under a travel visa.
Indonesia is a paradox, he says, in that it is complicated to guarantee the status of journalist – but once in the country, it is easy to contact sources, including managers.
Even so, he says, he avoids reporting sensitive subjects.
Red zones
Journalists say that the new rule has probably been designed to prevent them from visiting Western Papuan, a province where activists say that systemic discrimination and human rights violations have been underway for decades while certain premises are about independence. The province holds significant reserves of natural resources, including gold, copper and wood, and is a large producer of palm oil. Activists say that exploitation is endemic.
Jokowi promised in 2015 that journalists could enter the west of Papua, but those who tried to do so were faced with military intimidation and deportation. In 2017Six Japan journalists were arrested and expelled for making a documentary on two Aboriginal groups. While journalists from other countries are often expelled, local journalists who try to cross certain regions of Western Papua are often faced with physical and digital threats, explains Erick Tanjung, head of advocacy at the alliance of independent journalists.
The environment is a sensitive subject in Indonesia, explains Andreas Harsono, researcher of Human Rights Watch, as well as the rights of LGBT. To protect their chances of obtaining visas, he said, most journalists from abroad avoid covering these problems.
Intimidation and violence
Police are already restricting journalism by violence, says Erick. (Erick, like many Indonesians, prefers to use his first name when referenced.) Police institutions are responsible for most attacks on local journalists in Indonesia, with dozens of cases in the past five years.
Journalists say that the new rule bordered on the country closer to the situation they faced under President Suharto, who reigned with an iron fist from 1967 to 1998. After the fall of Suharto, Andreas said: “was the most open era for the foreign press.” (Andreas, like Erick and many other Indonesians, prefers to use his first name when he is referenced.)
But the situation has worsened since 2004, when President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono took power and began to threaten journalists. The past few years have aroused more challenges. In 2021, the police explicitly prohibited the media from disseminating any police violence, but the order was revoked less than two days later.
Erick hopes that the same thing will happen with the new law. If this remains in place, he says, press freedom will return to levels before 1998. “It is undemocratic for a country that maintains democratic principles,” he said, highlighting the challenges of Indonesians if journalists cannot present themselves freely. “The eyes of the world cannot see what is going on.”