To Jefferson Fellowship and Media Program Alumni:
Jefferson Fellow Ersa Siregar from Jakarta was killed during a skirmish between government forces and Free Aceh Movement (GAM) rebels on Dec. 29 in East Aceh, Indonesia. Siregar and cameraman Fery Santoro were taken captive by the GAM rebels in Aceh last June 29 while reporting on the conflict for Rajawali Citra Televisi Indonesia (RCTI), Indonesia's first private television station. Local and international journalist organizations had been working with the rebels and the Indonesian government for months trying to broker the journalists' safe release.
Siregar participated in the May 2002 Jefferson Fellowships program. During his time at the East-West Center, he presented a paper to his colleagues on terrorism in Indonesia, arguing that the stance of the United States toward Indonesia —- that it is, in the words of Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, a "terrorist nest" -— is neither accurate nor productive.
Siregar dedicated his life to journalism and was distinguished in his profession. He worked in broadcast media as a producer, editor and reporter; wrote extensively for various newspapers and magazines; and published several books. He brought warmth, wisdom and humor to his 2002 Jefferson Fellowship colleagues; his tragic death is a loss to the East-West Center alumni and to the journalism profession. He is survived by his wife and three children.
For more extensive reports on Siregar's death:
http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/12/30/1072546484019.html
For more information, contact Ann Hartman, who helps coordinate the Jefferson Fellowships program, at 808-944-7619 or hartmana@eastwestcenter.org