The price of newsprint in Indonesia has quadrupled, threatening the viability of many newspapers. PT Aspex Paper, which supplies 70 per cent of Indonesian newsprint, says the price change is necessary because of the drop in the value of the rupiah . There's no need for banning. At these prices, the press will die on its own,' grumbles Atal S Depari, Managing Editor of the Jakarta daily Sinar Pagi . S Leo Batubara, Secretary of the National Newspaper Association, says only a third of Indonesia's 286 newspapers are actually making money.
Media analysts warn of major staff layoffs in the near future.
The public has never been hungrier for news, at a time when President Suharto is under fire for his handling of the economy, and formerly forbidden subjects such as the Presidential succession, are openly discussed. Suharto has no sympathy for the press, which he says worsened the crisis of confidence in the rupiah by publishing critical reports. Journalists say the Government is not doing anything to bring the price down because it wants less coverage of the crisis. At least three million migrant workers, who have helped to build the Malaysian economic 'miracle', now face the threat of deportation. Work permits expiring in mid-1998 are unlikely to be renewed.