Indonesian cameraman claims Corby crash
· Was Seven wrong to give Corby $2m?
An Indonesian cameraman has made a police report alleging that vans carrying Schapelle Corby’s entourage twice hit his motorbike.
Bali-based freelancer Daniel Herry says the first van hit his bike as he tried to leave the Bali corrections office, known as Bapas, on Monday.
A small fleet of luxury mini-vans were removing Corby and her entourage from a chaotic media scrum that had formed for the convicted drug smuggler’s departure from Kerobokan prison.
Mr Herry said on Tuesday he was just trying to exit Bapas when the driver of Corby’s van swore at him and hit his bike.
“I think he said something like `bastard’ in Indonesian,” he said.
“I was terrified, I did not expect it … in Bali, the biggest (vehicles) have to wait until the motorbikes pass.
“Why would he do that? I was not blocking him. I was trying to get away.”
Mr Herry says he was hit again by one of the vans when he reached the front gates of the Sentosa villas, where Corby was taken.
He said the van’s back bumper fell off after making contact with his bike.
The Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) said the Corby case raised important issues for Indonesian reporters.
Rofiqi Hasan, chairman of AJI Denpasar, said he is concerned about efforts to hinder journalists at work.
The union is also pushing for a code of conduct to protect privacy, particularly of non-public figures such as Corby.
“The problem here in Indonesia is we don’t have a code yet on how far the privacy perimeter is in the field,” he said.
Media coverage of Corby’s release was already under scrutiny with confirmation the Seven Network is courting her for a paid interview.
The Seven Network was approached for comment.