We were accused of being irresponsible for trying to investigate the tendering process. If it was a story about another country but reflected the situation in Indonesia, it was safe to assume that one could get away with 80 percent of the story. If it concerned Indonesia directly then maybe only 10 percent or 20 percent of the truth could be written. The Suharto family was a no go area. I remember being in Perth when Tommy Suharto was in town.
Western journalists drown their sorrows at the bar.
Asian journalists seek comfort in a bowl of noodles. The second stage of this process of self-censorship occurred when the editors got their hands on the story. By the time the story got published, everyone's fear of what the authorities might think of it had gutted it. The source of this fear and of self-censorship was the power the authorities had to close you down. In Indonesia the print media operated under license, which could be removed without any legal process or right of appeal.