Anger simmers in Indonesia over incident
24/10/2017 6:41
Indonesia said on Monday it had
made urgent requests for an explanation why its military chief
was barred from travelling to the United States, as anger
simmered in the world's largest Muslim-majority country over the
diplomatic incident.
Armed forces commander General Gatot Nurmantyo was stopped
on Saturday from boarding an Emirates flight to the United
States, despite having a visa and an official invitation to a
conference from his counterpart, the chairman of the U.S joint
chiefs of staff, General Joseph Dunford.
Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said she had accepted an
official apology from the deputy U.S. ambassador in Jakarta but
awaited a detailed explanation.
"We conveyed that we still await clarification, an
explanation why this happened," Marsudi told reporters after
meeting the U.S. envoy.
"There is a sense of urgency to this that we have conveyed
to them," she said, adding that U.S. officials were "trying to
coordinate with relevant authorities in the U.S. to find out
what really happened."
U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis apologized for the
incident to his Indonesian counterpart, Ryamizard Ryacudu, on
the sidelines of an ASEAN meeting in the Philippines, and the
two were photographed shaking hands.
"I can confirm that he did a pull-aside with the Indonesian
minister and expressed regret and apologized for the
inconvenience," Captain Jeff Davis, a spokesman for Mattis, told
Reuters.
In a statement, the U.S. embassy in Jakarta said: "This
issue has been resolved. There is no restriction on General
Gatot's travel and we look forward to welcoming (him) to the
United States."
Indonesia generally enjoys good ties with the United States.
But relations have sometimes been strained over U.S. resource
companies operating in Indonesia or alleged rights abuses
involving Indonesia's military.
'SECURITY PROTOCOLS'
It was not immediately clear whether Nurmantyo, who has made
official visits to the United States before, would attend the
conference as scheduled on Monday and Tuesday.
In Washington, U.S. Homeland Security Department spokesman
Dave Lapan said the U.S. embassy in Jakarta had told Nurmantyo's
office that he might be delayed in boarding his flight because
of unspecified "U.S. security protocols."
Lapan said the U.S. government was unable to resolve the
problem before Nurmantyo arrived at the airport and he was
denied boarding. The general was eventually cleared and booked
on another flight but "he chose not to travel," Lapan added.
"The U.S. government is dedicated to ensuring that all
persons traveling to the United States are screened and properly
vetted. We regret that the passenger and his wife were
inconvenienced," Lapan said in an emailed statement.
The spokesman declined to respond to a question about the
security protocols that led to Nurmantyo being denied boarding,
saying: "We’re not able to discuss the specifics of individual
cases."
Some Indonesians reacted indignantly to the incident,
putting up banners around the capital calling for the U.S.
ambassador to be expelled and for Americans to be "sent home".
Former Indonesian Ambassador to the United States Dino Patti
Djalal called for a stronger government reaction.
"The government should not be asking for a clarification,
but rather conveying a protest to the U.S. side," he said on
Twitter.
Nurmantyo has frequently courted controversy in Indonesia
over what analysts perceive to be his political ambitions. He
has been accused of whipping up nationalist sentiment by
promoting the notion that Indonesia is besieged by "proxy wars"
waged by foreign states looking to undermine the country.
This month, Indonesian President Joko Widodo said the armed
forces should stay out of politics and ensure their loyalty was
only to the state and the government - a statement many believed
referred to Nurmantyo's actions.
Nurmantyo is due to retire next March and many expect him to
run for vice president or even president in 2019.
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