Rico Sempurna Pasaribu, a contributor with the local Tribrata TV, died with three of his family members in a June 27 morning house fire lit by assailants in Kabanjahe, Karo Regency, North Sumatra, multiple news outlets reported.
North Sumatra police arrested three suspects, Yunus Saputra, Rudi Apri Sembiring and Bebas Ginting, in connection with the arson attack, according to reports. Lawyers involved in the case said the suspected mastermind of the attack had not been identified or charged, local news reported
The fire occurred days after Pasaribu published a Tribata TV report and made personal Facebook postsalleging high-level military involvement in an illegal gambling operation in the area, the news reports said.
Pasaribu’s report featured a picture of a house, allegedly the office of the illegal online gambling business, citing its proximity to the barracks of the Army 125th battalion in Kabanjahe.
Pasaribu expressed concerns about his safety and had avoided staying at home as a precautionary measure before the fatal fire, according to news reports. He had returned home briefly to provide his family financial support on the night of the killer blaze, the reports said.
Military officials had called on Tribrata TV to take down the news report, but the news group refused, according to the reports. Tribrata TV did not reply to CPJ’s multiple emailed requests for comment.
In a statement, the local Journalists Safety Committee said the fire may have been related to Pasaribu’s reporting of local gambling allegedly organized by a member of the military.
Army spokesperson Brigadier General Kristomei Sianturi said the Army was ready to investigate any information and evidence of alleged involvement of its members in the fire, the Jakarta Globe reported.
"If proven guilty, the Army will process the involved members according to the prevailing rules and regulations," he said.
Neither the Indonesian police nor military replied to CPJ’s emailed requests for comment.