Journalist rejects Ramos Horta's accusation
Updated
East Timor president Jose Ramos Horta has made allegations against an Indonesian television channel over the airing of an interview with the late East Timorese rebel leader, Alfredo Reinado, but the journalist he named claims she had nothing to do with the controversial interview.
Presenter: Tom Fayle
Speaker: Desi Anwar, anchor and senior journalist with the 24-hour Indonesian news channel, Metro TV
ANWAR: Well actually my initial reaction was I thought it was a joke, I was amused. He clearly specifically mentioned my name, I recall like three times at a press conference, and I just thought it was at first it was some kind of a joke because it's completely fictitious, it's blatantly untrue, and the sad thing is it got quoted everywhere.
FAYLE: What do you mean though? What do you mean blatantly untrue?
ANWAR: Because he actually mentioned my name, Desi Anwar. I did not even conduct an interview and I have never actually met Reinado and he actually mentioned my name specifically, Desi Anwar. So I don't know where he got that information from.
FAYLE: So you didn't host the show? You didn't produce the show?
ANWAR: I did not host the show, I did not produce the show and I did not have anything to do with whatever he's accused me of. So it's completely, completely outrageously fictitious and blatantly untrue, and I'm up to this moment I still see it as something of a joke his accusations
FAYLE: And have you got any explanation then for your naming, perhaps mistaken identity, any other Desi Anwar's working for Metro TV?
ANWAR: Well ... I mean the only logical explanation I could think of is that either he's still sort of recovering and is still traumatised, and the other thing is probably he was fed the wrong information that made him jump to really outrageous conclusions. Metro TV did interview him, I mean we're a news station, we interview a lot of people, our business is to interview people. But for him to jump into that conclusion is completely I think unacceptable, and the other thing is Desi is a very common Indonesian name. However there is only one Desi Anwar, and that's me.
FAYLE: You do have a very prominent profile?
ANWAR: Yes but then for him to link, for a President of East Timor to link the two together, I mean jump into something completely untrue is I think is quite...I should worry about the credibility of his accusations.
FAYLE: Alright to set that accusation to one side, your own personal involvement, Metro TV as you say did interview him and President Ramos Horta makes the allegation that Metro TV organised false documents for Major Reinado to travel to Indonesia in May 2007 for the interview. To the best of your knowledge did you or Metro TV directly or indirectly organise travel documents for Major Reinado?
ANWAR: I have to be honest to the best of my knowledge, I mean Metro TV did interview him, but to the best of my knowledge I absolutely have no idea, you know we're a TV station, we're not into organising documents, we're not immigration office, so no, absolutely not.
FAYLE: So how did somebody who was the number one fugitive in East Timor get to Jakarta at a time when he was being hunted down by troops, supposed to be hunted down by troops in the mountains of East Timor?
ANWAR: Well this is it again, I personally did not do the interview and I personally, I don't even know where the location of the interview is. So there is an assumption that is being made here even I cannot substantiate.
FAYLE: So there is some debate over whether it was conducted in Jakarta or Dili essentially?
ANWAR: Well like I said I have absolutely no idea.
FAYLE: Ok.
ANWAR: Even I do not have any idea where the interview was conducted.
FAYLE: Let's assume though that it was conducted in Jakarta and without wanting to put words into the East Timorese leader's mouth you can see where he's coming from can't you? I mean East Timor's most wanted fugitive manages to travel to Jakarta, he turns up at a major television studio and then disappears again all without anyone landing a finger on him. It does look like he's got influential Indonesian friends?
ANWAR: Well like I said I do not know anything about that kind of thing because it's not to my knowledge at all. And the other thing like I said Metro TV we are in the business of interviewing people, we've interviewed so many people in the past, we've interviewed GAM members at secret locations, but like I said that he should come up with that conclusion I think there is something very strange about that kind of conclusion that he came up with.
FAYLE: And what about that allegation that Metro TV and what he's calling Indonesian elements contributed to the attempt on his life and that he's talking about he won't rest until the truth of their involvement with Reinado is uncovered?
ANWAR: Well look the day after he made or the evening after he made that statement, President SBY, I mean the Indonesian government actually said he shouldn't be making unsubstantiated statements. And if I recall on Sunday he actually said that the media misquoted him and what he meant was there were some elements and that East Timorese and perhaps East Timorese nationals have become Indonesians, that's what he meant. So again he was actually backtracking on his accusations, I really have no idea what he's on about.
FAYLE: Ok finally Desi Anwar if you had the opportunity to speak to President Ramos Horta what would you say, what would be your message?
ANWAR: Well my message is and I knew Ramos Horta in the past, I'm a journalist, so what I would say to him it's like why are you accusing me of this kind of thing, it's very, very odd.
