Peter John Jaban
MIRI: Controversial DJ of underground Radio Free Sarawak (RFS), Peter John Jaban is back and was seen moving about freely, having coffee with friends here yesterday.
He was here to attend the World Indigenous People conference, looking relaxed in the company of friends from the opposition, including PKR Miri branch chief Dr Micheal Teo Yu Kheng.
The duo caused a furore in May this year when Peter John suddenly disappeared on the way down to town from Miri Airport and Dr Teo said he suspected Peter John had been arrested.
Teo said he saw Peter John entering another car and suspected that the authorities could have arrested him.
Jaban’s Radio Free Sarawak founder-editor and partner Clare Rewcastle Brown told the media that he was “whisked” away by three men whom she alleged were unidentified plainclothes police personnel.
Sarawak and Miri police denied the kidnapping allegation when opposition leaders here raised an outcry prior to the Gawai Dayak celebration.
The DJ later resurfaced and clarified that he took the necessary precautions and decided to switch vehicles during the incident, fearing that he could be arrested as he was forewarned in Kota Kinabalu before flying to Miri then.
His critics slammed the incident as seeking cheap publicity but the DJ said he went underground for fear of being arrested.
The voice of Radio Free Sarawak, Peter John was a pioneer DJ in Cats Radio and Radio Free Sarawak. He coined the name ‘Papa Orang Utan’ for himself when he was in RFS interviewing native tribesmen by phone in longhouses all over Sarawak
Peter John said he was still wary of being hauled up by the authorities while in the state pending his return to the United Kingdom where RFS is based, but he is undeterred in his cause to fight for the rights of the people.
The authorities have been wary of RFS, which Peter spearheaded with Claire as a dissident radio station from London touching on Sarawak affairs and issues, with opposition leaders dominating the airwaves.
Peter said RFS was blocked by the authorities in the last state election, and believed a similar step would be taken in the coming parliamentary election which is due latest by April next year.
“We expect that to happen again, but we have contingency plans,” he said.
A defiant Peter said it was a futile and expensive exercise for the authorities to block RFS, saying it could operate on other short wave frequencies and he would continue with his investigative style of reporting.
He is in town to attend the national level three-day International Day of World’s Indigenous People celebration that ends today. The theme for this year’s celebration is ‘Indigenous Media, Empowering Indigenous Voices.’