The World Association of Newspapers has urged members to donate to
the Serambi Indonesia newspaper in the Aceh region in north Sumatra.
Half the newspaper’s 200 staff were killed in the tsunami, its offices damaged and its print plant destroyed.
WAN
saluted the courage of Serambi Indonesia ‘s remaining staff who were
publishing again after a break of just five days. The newspaper,
located in Banda Aceh, is operating from a small temporary office and
printing at Lhokseumawe, a five-hour drive away.
WAN director
general Timothy Balding said: “WAN invites its members to consider
sending financial aid, however modest, to our colleagues at Serambi
Indonesia , who are continuing to do their job under the most appalling
conditions.”
Sentrijanto, the director of PT Indopersta
Primamedia, the holding company for Serambi Indonesia , said: “Most of
the workers lost their families, their houses, everything they had.
“How
could they publish the newspaper five days after the disaster, with
half the workers lost? The answer is, they feel it is their
responsibility as the only local newspaper published in Aceh.”
For
information on how to contribute to Serambi Indonesia , contact
Sentrijanto at sentrijanto@persda.co.id The Alliance of Independent
Journalists in Indonesia is also accepting donations for Indonesian
journalists and families. To contribute contact
sekretariatnya_AJI@yahoo.com
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