Not South African citizens

The Embassy of the Republic of South Africa wishes to refer to your Sept. 7 article regarding the arrest of two South African citizens in Bali, allegedly for drug trafficking.

The names of the people were reported as John Gabriele, 37, and Martin Christopher, 40.

The Embassy appreciates the role played by the media as it acts on the information at its disposal.

On investigating the matter further by way of fingerprints, legitimacy of the passports used, and personal contact with the suspects, the Embassy discovered that the suspects are in fact not South African citizens.

The Embassy has left no room for doubt. The suspects are not South African citizens

Furthermore, for the record, the embassy wishes to clarify a few incidents in which people were arrested at the airport using South African passports. These people were not South African either, but merely masquerading as citizens of South Africa.

The Embassy has yet to be made aware of a person who is truly South African and involved in the practice of drug trafficking.

The Embassy requests that the media convey the outcome of its investigation to readers as soon as possible

M MAMBUKWE Counselor South African Embassy Jakarta