West Papua PWI Is Furious With 'Wartawan Bodrek' Who Attracts Pepper From Illegal Gold Mining In Manokwari

The head of PWI West Papua Province Bustam (right) when giving a statement related to journalists receiving tribute from illegal gold mines in Manokwari, Wednesday (28-9-2022). ANTARA

MANOKWARI - The Association of Indonesian Journalists (PWI) of West Papua Province denied that there were journalists from Manokwari who acted to withdraw tributes from illegal gold mines in Manokwari. If so, his party will take a tough stance to revoke journalists' membership. The head of the West Papua Province PWI Bustam said that his party would also forward this information to the Central PWI so that they would know about the problem. "I have received the data, and the data recipient from the illegal gold mine does not have the name of a journalist in Manokwari. The information we also received, many people claiming to be journalists and the media are unclear (Wartawan bodrek) with various ways of participating as a liaison there," he said in Manokwari as reported by Antara, Wednesday, September 27. The mass media, whose origin is unclear, said Bustam, will also be reported to the Press Council for order. If journalists are professional, according to him, no one will accept the tribute, especially from gold mines whose status so far is illegal. Bustam said it was very likely that the recipients of the tribute from illegal gold mines were not journalists from Manokwari, but from outside West Papua who were used to entering the mine site to ask for a tribute not to write down problems that arose due to the existence of illegal gold mines. If the public has information that journalists receive tributes from illegal mines, he asks to provide clear information, including his data. In this case, it is ready to take firm action. Mining issues, he continued, so far journalists have always encouraged the existing illegal gold mines to become legal gold mines whose management is people's. He said that journalists had been carrying out journalistic work " pretty hard" related to the existence of illegal gold mines. However, he said there was a banner that asked reporters to be neutral towards illegal gold mines. "Friends have tried to stop the gold mine from being illegal to being legal through the West Papua DPR and West Papua MPR until finally the mine was temporarily stopped. However, recently the mine turned out to be operating again," said Bustam.