Indonesian student faces hearing over 'Yogyakarta is stupid' social media post

Updated

An Indonesian student, who could be jailed for comments posted on social media, is facing an ethical hearing at her university today.

Postgraduate law student Florence Sihombing, 26, was arrested after a message she sent to friends on social media went viral.

In her post, Ms Sihombing called the central Java city of Yogyakarta "poor, stupid and uneducated".

Police have released Ms Sihombing and are preparing a case against her for alleged defamation and inciting hatred.

The dean of the Gajah Mada University's law school said community groups have agreed to withdraw their complaint from the police.

But Yogyakarta police spokeswoman Anny Pujastuti said it would be up to the prosecutors' office to decide whether to pursue the case against Ms Sihombing.

She could face six years in jail if found guilty, Ms Pujastuti said.

Ms Sihombing's lawyer, Widodo Malik, said his client had driven past a long queue of scooters waiting for subsidised fuel at a petrol station and tried to buy more expensive, unsubsidised fuel, where there was a shorter queue.

When attendants refused to serve her, she complained to them and a member of the Indonesian military who was there.

After a video of her complaining was posted online, Ms Sihombing started getting bullied on social media sites.

She then sent friends the group message on the social networking application Path saying: "Jogja is poor, stupid and uncultured. Friends in Jakarta and Bandung, please don't stay in Jogja."

A screenshot of that message posted on a public social media site went viral.

Responding to complaints from offended residents, Yogyakarta police then arrested Ms Sihombing for allegedly breaching the Criminal Code and the 2008 Electronic Transactions and Information Law (ITE), inciting hatred and defamation.

Ms Sihombing's lawyer said the arrest was unlawful.

Yogyakarta is in Central Java and is the capital of a special region known by the same name. It is one of a few Indonesian regions that still has a royal family, or sultanate, who lives in a palace compound in the city.

It is known as a cultural hub with links to Buddhism and Hinduism, as well as Indonesian arts and crafts like Batik and Wayang Theatre.

Yogya, as it is known, is also major student city with many universities.

The Indonesian government spends billions of dollars subsidising fuel and it has become a contentious issue in the country.

Limits on its availability last month caused long queues at some petrol stations across the country as people feared fuel may run out.

President-elect Joko Widodo plans to phase out fuel subsidies. In the past, attempts to remove or reduce subsidies have resulted in civil unrest.

Topics: courts-and-trials, law-crime-and-justice, community-and-society, asia, indonesia

First posted