Equinox Publishing to launch book about murdered Indonesian journalist

Eight years ago, in August 1996, an Indonesian journalist named Udin was murdered for a series of stories he was writing about corruption in Central Java. This case remains one of the most famous unsolved murder mysteries, and Filipino author José Manuel Tesoro has written an insider's account of what really happened before and after Udin's death. The launching of THE INVISIBLE PALACE will be this Friday, 20 August 2004 at Klub Rasuna in South Jakarta. All are welcome to attend this historic event.

(PRWEB) August 19, 2004 -- One August night in 1996, on a rural highway in Java, an investigative journalist was beaten to death by unknown assailants. Two months later, police arrested a high-school drop-out and put him on trial for the reporters murder. One problem: the accused killer had never met his alleged victim.

Entwined in local rivalries, media intrigues, and the long-held beliefs of many Javanese in fate, myth and magic, the killing of Fuad Muhammad Syafruddin spawned an unprecedented criminal investigation, a gripping courtroom drama and a nationwide controversy that signaled the iron rule of Indonesias longtime president, Suharto, was ending.

Researched and written over two years from confidential documents, court records and exclusive interviews with police, investigators, lawyers, witnesses and survivors, this unique account reconstructs the legal and political drama surrounding one of Indonesias most famous unsolved murders. Combining journalism, travel writing and true crime, THE INVISIBLE PALACE is an engrossing and deeply described study of media, politics and justice in the contemporary developing world.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
José Manuel Tesoro (Joel) was Jakarta correspondent for Asiaweek magazine from 1997 to 2000. Born in Manila, he has lived and traveled widely in Indonesia and Southeast Asia, reporting for Asiaweek, Wired, East and the Economist Intelligence Unit. A 1994 graduate of Yale University, he is currently a student at Harvard Law School and lives with his wife in Cambridge, Massachusetts. This is his first book.

Joel will be in Jakarta from the 20th until the 30th of August. for interview requests, please contact

Mark Hanusz
Equinox Publishing
Jakarta

tel: +62 21 829 7734
email: editor@equinoxpublishing.com

**REVIEW COPIES ARE AVAILBLE TO BONA FIDE MEMBERS OF THE PRESS.**