PFI Urges Basarnas to Resume Search for 5 Journalists in Sunda Strait After Crew Member's Body Found
Baca dalam 60 detik
- PFI meminta Basarnas membuka kembali operasi SAR setelah jasad ABK KM Arupadatu ditemukan di Pulau Enggano.
- Temuan jenazah Surakman (60) pada 12 September menjadi bukti baru yang memicu desakan penyisiran ulang.
- Ketua PFI menegaskan harapan keluarga belum padam dan mendesak negara hadir maksimal melacak 5 jurnalis serta 2 kru yang hilang.
Pewarta Foto Indonesia (PFI) has formally urged the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) to reactivate search and rescue operations for five journalists and two crew members who lost contact while covering Mount Anak Krakatau activity in the Sunda Strait since 7 September 2026. The push came after a forensic team confirmed the identity of a crew member of KM Arupadatu, Surakman (60), whose body was found on Enggano Island, Bengkulu, on 12 September.
PFI Central Chairman Dwi Pambudo, in a written statement on Wednesday (23/9), said the finding constituted sufficient new evidence to reopen the Joint SAR Operation. "On the basis of this new evidence, PFI formally requests and urges Basarnas along with the joint TNI/Polri SAR team to immediately reopen the Joint SAR Operation," he said. PFI also asked for intensive sweeps in the radius around where the body was found and along the sea route from the Sunda Strait to Enggano.
The request refers to Basarnas' commitment when it closed the operation the previous week, stating it would reopen the search if new clues or signs were found. Dwi stressed that the families' hopes had not faded. "Our hopes and those of the families have not dimmed at all. We ask the state to be fully present to trace the whereabouts of our 5 journalist colleagues and 2 other crew members still listed as missing. Time is precious, and every second matters for their safety," he said.
Banten Police Chief Insp. Gen. Hengki, at a press conference at Banten Police Headquarters in Serang on Wednesday (23/9), recounted the chronology of the body's discovery. "On Saturday, the fifth day of the search, we received information from Bengkulu that a body of Mr X had been found there on Enggano Island, North Bengkulu," he explained. Coordination between the Banten Police and Bengkulu Police through DNA examination confirmed the body was Surakman, one of three crew members in the boat party carrying the five journalists.
The disappearance of the five journalists and two crew members has drawn public attention, especially because they were carrying out journalistic duties covering the volcanic activity of Mount Anak Krakatau. The incident has also raised questions about safety standards for reporting in high-risk areas. PFI stressed that the state has a constitutional obligation to protect every citizen, including media workers on assignment.
From a policy perspective, PFI's push tests the government's response to protecting journalists in the field. If the SAR operation is reopened, cross-agency coordination—Basarnas, the TNI, the Polri, and local governments—will come under scrutiny. The success of the search depends not only on resources but also on the speed and accuracy of information gathered from coastal communities and fishermen around the Sunda Strait to Bengkulu waters.
As of this news being published, there has been no official statement from Basarnas on whether the operation will be extended. However, public and family pressure is predicted to keep mounting over time. The question is, how far will the state deploy its best capabilities to ensure no more lives are lost without a trace in the waters of the Sunda Strait?
