Malaysians arrested in Medan 'not revenge'

Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post, Medan

North Sumatra Governor T. Rizal Nurdin insisted that the arrests and 6-hour detention by the local police of 19 Malaysians in the city last Friday was not in retaliation for the Malaysian authorities' arrest of illegal Indonesian workers in their country.

"Local authorities are still studying the case. Of course, the police have their authority to arrest foreigners without the required documents, it has nothing to do with the crackdown on Indonesians working illegally in the neighboring country," he said here on Monday.

The 19 were arrested by police reportedly while in the lobby of the Danau Toba hotel on Friday, because they were not carrying their passports on their person.

It was also reported that they were released six hours later after being allowed to retrieve their passports from their rooms and paying the police the equivalent of around US$22, as a "sincere contribution to the Indonesian police."

Rizal was responding to reports that Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Achmad Badawi expressed his suspicion over the weekend that the arrests were a retaliatory measure.

The 19 were taken to the police headquarters for "further investigation" before being allowed to retrieve their passports.

Malaysian authorities have deported hundreds of thousands of illegal Indonesians and arrested a number of others following the deadline set on Aug. 31, 2002 for all illegal foreign workers to leave that country.

The governor said he had met Malaysian General Consul Mohammad Yusof Abu Bakar to discuss the issue.

"I explained to the consul general that the arrests had nothing to do with the issue of Indonesian workers. We do hope that this problem will not damage the two countries' bilateral ties," he said.

He added that he would readily explain to the Malaysians about the arrests, and that he had instructed local authorities to deal with expatriates fairly and in accordance with the law to maintain a conducive investment climate in the province.

Meanwhile, Yusof Abu Bakar said he could understand the reasons behind the arrests and on behalf of his government had made an apology to the local police for their suspicions about the arrest.

"I have just given a clarification to the police that Malaysia was not offended by the arrests and what the police did was consistent with the (Indonesian) law," he said.

Sr. Comr. Iskardar Hasan, chief of the detective unit at the provincial Police, confirmed that the Malaysian envoy had made an apology for his government's suspicions.

Hasan also denied the report that the Indonesian police told the Malaysians to pay 80 Ringgit (around US$22) each for their release.