Malaysia Believes Indonesia Protects Its Citizens

Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak said the Indonesian government will ensure that the safety of Malaysians in the republic is guaranteed following unfriendly actions by "vigilante groups" on Malaysians there. He said this was conveyed to him by Indonesia’s Ambassador to Malaysia Da’i Bachtiar during a meeting they had Wednesday.

"I have conveyed to Pak Try Sutrisno (Try Sutrisno) Malaysia’s worry about the safety of Malaysian citizens in Indonesia and he has promised to bring it up with the Indonesian government. The Indonesian ambassador in our meeting earlier today told me they were taking action to ensure no harm comes to Malaysians," he told reporters after breaking fast with members of his Cabinet at his official residence here.

Sutrisno leads the Indonesian side in the Indonesia-Malaysia Eminent Persons Group, a body which hold dialogues on issues of mutual concern to the two countries. The Malaysian side is led by Musa Hitam.

Najib was asked to comment on the actions of the vigilante groups, members of which were conducting "sweeping" operations to identify and harras Malaysians. On Sept 8, a group of Indonesians calling themselves "Benteng Demokrasi Rakyat" (BENDERA) (People’s Democratic Front) reportedly threatened to use bamboo spikes on Malaysians along a Jakarta street and had demanded passers-by to show proof of their nationality.

There had also been demonstrations outside the Malaysian Embassy and in the latest one, protestors pelted rotten eggs at the embassy building last week after Malaysia was accused of ’stealing’ the Balinese pendet dance in a promotion of Malaysia aired by the Discovery Channel.
Rotten eggs were also hurled at a house rented by Malaysian students of Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta by a group of local undergraduates over the Pendet dance. Discovery Channel has apologised for the error.