Rien Kuntari, CM

Cordula Maria Rien Kuntari, a freelance journalist and an independent writer who spent most of her career with Kompas Daily, the largest circulation newspaper in Indonesia. She was born and raised in Yogyakarta, a small city rich in cultural heritage in the southern Island of Java where she learnt humanity, love, and friendship. Her cultural background has made her eyes open to the humanitarian issues during her career. During her tenure at Kompas Daily she reported from more than 50 countries in Asia, Europe, the Americas, Africa, and the Middle East. She covered the Gulf War (1991), Iraq Economic Embargo (1993), the Rwanda War (1994), Cambodia (1996), two Iraqi Referendums (1997 and 2002), and East Timor for the ten years up to its independence (1992–2002). She was an Indonesian presidential correspondent from the Soeharto administration through that of Abdurrahman Wahid. In December, 2008, she published her book commissioned by the newspaper, Timor Timur, Satu Menit Terakhir; Catatan Seorang Wartawan (East Timor, The Final Hour: A Journalist’s Notes). In February 2009, when her book was undergoing a second printing, the newspaper fired her due to “controversy” surrounding her truthful reporting. This, and death threats, resulted in her traveling to the US in July, 2009. In March 2011, she tried to go back to Indonesia and found the seriousness of the threat.