Nov 30, 2006

Acheh: Government Criticized Over Ban of Films


Reporters Without Borders criticized the Indonesian government and said the censorship was undermining free expression "return of peace to Aceh should allow a free and calm debate on the situation in this region" it said.

Below is an article published on the International Herald Tribune Website:

JAKARTA, Indonesia: The Indonesian government was criticized Tuesday for failing to uphold the democratic right of free speech after banning four movies on East Timor and Aceh from an international film festival.

The government's Film Censorship Institute (LSF) blocked the planned screening next month of "The Black Road," "Tales of Crocodiles," "Passabe" and "Timor Loro Sae" at the 8th Jakarta International Film Festival.

Festival program manager Lalu Roisamri said the country's leaders apparently aren't ready to come to terms with the painful past in East Timor and Aceh, where tens of thousands died in violence in past decades.

"They are afraid if we show the films they will open old wounds, but we believe if we want to reconcile we cannot avoid the problem," he said. "By discussing and talking about the problems, we may avoid their reoccurrence."

The film festival, which began after the fall of former dictator Suharto in 1998, expects to attract 48,000 visitors this year to 230 films airing in the capital from Dec. 8.

"The docudrama is extremely one-sided. Nationalism is at stake," said institute head Titie Said, referring to Black Road, an award-winning documentary about the conflict in Aceh by American filmmaker William Nessen.

Titie said it would be bad timing to show the film about Aceh as planned, days before the province's first direct gubernatorial elections on Dec. 11. It could "ruin the conducive situation in Aceh which had been built with so much effort," she said.

All four films have aired elsewhere.

Three on East Timor, now an independent state that suffered greatly during more than two decades of Indonesian occupation until 1999, were also banned at the festival last year. East Timor is going through a period of violent transition and is set to hold elections in May.

Reporters Without Borders, a Paris-based media rights watchdog, criticized the Indonesian government and said the censorship board was undermining free expression.

"The return of peace to Aceh and East Timor should allow a free and calm debate on the situation in these two regions," it said in a statement. "But the government continues to choose the outdated method of censorship."