Work stuff : Indonesia's onliners on the move ( stage 2 )

Dear blogger :

An update from The Jakarta Post Newspaper :

Press Council supports detained ex-patient

The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Wed, 06/03/2009 10:33 AM | Jakarta

The Indonesian Press Council plans to visit and show support for Prita Mulyasari, a housewife who has been detained for defamation allegations after complaining over the Internet about receiving allegedly substandard hospital treatment, at Tangerang Women's Penitentiary on Wednesday.

Abdullah Alamudi, a member of the council, told kompas.com that the council would also protest to Tangerang High Prosecutors' Office over Prita's case.

She was charged with violating Article 27 of the Electronic Information Transaction Law and Articles 310 and 311 of the Criminal Code, which carry a maximum sentence of six years in prison.

He said the council had found peculiarities in the case and would send letters to the Attorney General's Office and the President.

Prita has spent three weeks at Tangerang Women’s Penitentiary after being accused of defamation by Omni International Hospital in Serpong, Tangerang. She was separated from her two children, Khairan Ananta, 3, and Ranariya, 15 months, and therefore has been unable to breast-feed the latter.

Her story has created a buzz over the Internet with support pouring in through blogs and a Facebook cause titled Dukungan Bagi Ibu Prita Mulyasari, Penulis Surat Keluhan Melalui Internet yang Dipenjara (Support for Ibu Prita Mulyasari, Arrested Internet Complaint Author). About 27,000 people had joined the cause by Wednesday morning.

Prita said her Aug. 27, 2008 email – titled Penipuan (Fraud by) Omni International Hospital Alam Sutera Tangerang – revealed her disappointment over the hospital's poor service, its management's arrogance and its doctors’ inability to diagnose her illness during her treatment at the hospital from Aug. 7 to 12.

In a September 2008 civil lawsuit, the court ordered her to pay Rp 50 million (US$4,761) of the Rp 400 million compensation demanded by the hospital, as well as make a public apology in two printed media. (dre)