Attacks on the Press in 2010 - Committee to Protect Journalists

<strong>Attacks</strong> on the Press in 2010India: 1july 20, 2010, allahabadVijay Pratap Singh, Indian ExpressSingh, 36, a senior correspondent for the daily Indian Express, died ofinjuries suffered in a July 12 bombing. Singh was interviewing NandGopal Gupta, minister for institutional finance, when explosives concealedin a moped outside the minister’s home were detonated, newsreports said. The blast killed one other person and injured severalothers, including Gupta.Indian media outlets reported that police in Uttar Pradesh had arrestedtwo members of the local Samajwadi Party in the attack. Themotive was said to be political and business rivalries. Police said theywere unable to trace the owner of the secondhand moped used in thebombing, according to Indian Express.Indonesia: 3july 30, 2010, meraukeArdiansyah Matra’is, Merauke TVA rescue team found the body of Matra’is near the Gudang ArangRiver, two days after his family reported him missing in Merauke, asmall town on the southern tip of Papua province, according to newsreports.Matra’is, a reporter for the local broadcaster Merauke TV, had beencovering plans for a large agribusiness development in Merauke,according to the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AIJ). With itspotential for bringing wealth to the remote region, the project hadled to a heated competition for the position of regional chief, VictorMambor, chairman of AIJ’s local branch, told the newsmagazineTempo. Matra’is’ death came in the run-up to local elections.In the week before his death, Matra’is had received threatening textmessages similar to those sent to at least three other local journalists,news reports said. The news website Kompas translated one threat assaying: “To cowardly journalists, never play with fire if you don’t wantto be burned. If you still want to make a living on this land, don’t doweird things. We have data on all of you and be prepared for death.”292