I'd have sympathised with her 'situation' more if only she's been honest from the very beginning. In the start of the scandal, Cut Tari (as well as Luna Maya) had "denied involvement in the sex tapes, saying the footage was doctored". That's not so. She caved in & confessed her being the star in one of the three videos which also featured the popular singer Ariel Peterpan.
She should have just said, 'Yes, that's me in the sex video!' & continued to play a victim. Now she's seen as a liar. And nobody cares to feel sorry for a liar.
I wonder how Luna Maya will react in the next few days: will she too follow suit Cut Tari's action & admit her 'involvement' in the sex videos? Or continue to deny that she's the one in the clips?
In any case, I agree Indonesian police should have focused the investigation more on the culprits which uploaded & distributed the sex videos.
The world is watching. (Uhm, not watching the sex videos. The case, I mean.) Even BBC News published a story about this sex scandal.
Gossip show presenter and model Cut Tari has finally admitted to being in one of three sex videos which have widely circulated through the Internet, after weeks of denial.
Her lawyer Hotman Paris Hutapea said Friday her client had confessed to featuring in the video with boyband lead singer Nazriel "Ariel" Ilham. Tari, Ariel and another presenter Luna Maya, have been declared suspects in the video scandal.
"In the case file, we explain that she was in the video with the singer," Hotman said as quoted by kompas.com.
Hotman said the confession came only recently as his client did not want to preempt the police's investigation into the case.
"She [Tari] has been named a suspect since Monday. We did not publish it as we did want to move ahead of the police," he said.
The lawyer said her client was not aware she was being videotaped and who spread the video.
"She has never seen, kept and distributed the video. Men often videotape their love making using cellular phones," he said.
From Asiaone, "Cut Tari admits being in sex video". (10/07/10)
Cut Tari's mother has fallen ill following the involvement of her daughter in a sex tape with singer Nazriel Irham aka Ariel Peter Pan.
"[Cut Tari's]Mother has been sick since the video is circulating," Seno, a security officer at Cut Tari's home, said as quoted by kompas.com
Cut Tari finally admitted on Thursday that she was the one in the sex video with Ariel.
Police have declared her, Ariel and another actress Luna Maya suspects in the sex video scandal.
From Jakarta Post, "Cut Tari's mother fell ill after daughter sex scandal". (10/07/10)
THE police should shift the focus of their investigation into a sex video scandal from the popular singer and two actresses depicted in the videos to those who uploaded and disseminated the pornographic content, an expert says.
"They are supposed to focus their probe on finding those responsible for spreading the videos allegedly featuring singer Nazril 'Ariel' Ilham and TV presenters Luna Maya and Cut Tary," Eddy O. S. Hiariej, a law expert from Gadjah Mada University, told The Jakarta Post.
"The police have so far failed to arrest the video uploaders. The investigation into the case cannot be deemed a success if the video distributors still walk free," he said.
Days after the scandal broke out, the police and the Communications and Information Technology Ministry announced they had tracked down the source of the first uploads of the videos.
They were allegedly uploaded from several locations in West Java and Southeast Sulawesi, according to police chief detective Comr. Gen. Ito Sumardi. The police have yet to arrest any perpetrators.
They have, however, been detaining Ariel since June 22 for charges of intentionally making pornographic content. Ariel has not said he ever intended to spread the videos.
Detectives charged him with the 2008 Pornography Law, which carries a maximum punishment of 12 years in jail.
Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Marwoto Soeto said the police would again summon Luna Maya and Cut Tari on Monday for questioning and would later announce whether the two would be named suspects.
Ito has said detectives would declare the two suspects if they can find "appropriate" articles in either the Criminal Code or the Pornography Law with which to charge the duo.
Ito said a team of detectives was working on finding a legal way to charge Luna and Tari.
Eddy said Ito's statement was ridiculous. "If they have named Ariel a suspect, they can automatically also charge Luna and Cut Tari. Why should they need to find other articles?"
Eddy said Luna and Cut Tari could be proven culpable if the police noticed the two were clearly aware they were being filmed and did nothing to prevent it.
"However, I think the articles the police have used to charge Ariel are weak as they don't apply to those who make pornographic media for personal reasons," Eddy said.
From Asiaone, "Police should 'focus probe on video uploaders'". (07/07/10)
It is being called Indonesia's first ever celebrity sex scandal.
For the last few weeks, Indonesians have been captivated by an ongoing saga over X-rated videos that have appeared on the internet, allegedly featuring three of the country's most popular celebrities.
Pop star Nazril Irham (nicknamed Ariel) has denied any involvement, but has been charged under anti-pornography laws.
TV presenter Luna Maya and soapstar Cut Tari have also denied involvement in the sex tapes, saying the footage was doctored.
But the rate at which the videos have spread on the web has raised fears about the way Indonesians are using technology, even prompting the vice-president to voice concern about what the younger generation is doing online.
The scandal has stirred debate about attitudes to sex and internet regulation in the world's most populous Muslim nation.
Public protest
Celebrity sex scandals may be nothing new in some other countries, but in Indonesia it has got a lot of people very angry.
Demonstrations against the stars have been taking place since the videos appeared online.
At a rally organised by Hizb ut-Tahrir, a conservative Muslim group known for trying to push a strict Islamic agenda, men, women and young children held posters and waved banners in the searing heat.
The adults were frustrated by what they see as the moral deterioration of their society.
Many were young parents worried about the kind of place Indonesia is turning into, and what that means for their children.
Uzham Izhar, 32, had brought her two-year-old daughter.
"We want to live in an Indonesia that follows Islamic values," she said, as she patted her daughter asleep on her lap.
"Islamic law isn't just for Muslims, it's for the whole country.
"This kind of country is very dangerous, and it is particularly dangerous for my young daughter. I don't want her growing up in this kind of Indonesia."
Her concerns are being echoed by many who are worried that the younger generation's attitude to sex and morality is not in tune with Indonesia's cultural and religious heritage.
More than 80% of Indonesians are Muslim, and while it is a secular nation, most people are still largely conservative.
But that is changing, especially among young people who have access to information in a way their parents could never have dreamed of.
Censorship?
All of this has put the government under pressure.
Indonesia's Communications Ministry drafted a decree last year to regulate the internet but it was not pushed through because it was seen as unpopular with the public.
Now, the ministry is re-drafting the decree and says it will be in place by the end of the year.
Critics say officials are using this celebrity sex saga as an opportunity to re-introduce censorship in a country that has only recently become a democracy after three decades of authoritarian rule.
But Communications Ministry chief Basuki Yusuf says the claims are ridiculous.
"Democracy doesn't mean absolute freedom," he told the BBC in his office in central Jakarta.
"The internet is just technology. It has a good side and a bad side. We can't forget there is always a risk for the misuse and even the abuse of the internet - that it could violate our values and our future generations."
But the government seems to be out of step with Indonesia's young generation on this issue.
Margareta Astaman Indonesian blogger
They resent the assumption that the only reason they are using the internet is to download pornographic material or access "immoral" content.
This is a country that is increasingly comfortable with technology.
In restaurants and cafes around Jakarta, it is not unusual to see teenagers and professionals browsing the web on their laptops, iPhones or Blackberries, and other gadgets.
There are more than 40 million internet users in Indonesia - and that number is growing fast.
Indonesian is the top Asian language on Facebook, and other local sites are also growing in popularity, which is why any clampdown on the internet is being met with stiff resistance from young people here.
Margareta Astaman is a 24-year-old blogger.
Her blog, Have a Sip of Margarita, has become so well-known that publishers have turned some of her entries about her daily life into a series of books.
She says the government is over-reacting to the celebrity sex scandal.
"We live in the internet, everything we do is on the internet, so limiting access will limit ourselves," she said, adding that it may have some negative effects in society but that the positive also needs to be recognised.
Here, as in other countries, the web has become a vital part of everyday life, especially for Indonesia's youth.
It is a forum for complaints about politicians, a place to chat and connect with friends and family, and a tool for expression.
The question this country is wrestling with is whether a new-found love of technology can co-exist with traditional values and religious beliefs.
From BBC News, "Indonesia sex scandal stirs internet debate". (05/07/10)
Yuck. But who this Will Cotton by the way? A quick google on the name leads to some fantastical paintings. Take this one in the left for example. Does it really look like painting?
