The group supporting Jakarta governor Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama on Sunday (Jun 5) apologised for planning to stage a demonstration in front of the Singapore embassy in Jakarta.
Singgih Widiyastono, one of the founders of Teman Ahok, or “Friends of Ahok”, said he regretted that the group reacted in a provocative manner when two of its members, Amalia Ayuningtyas and Richard Saerang, were questioned by Singapore officials on Saturday.
“We issued a statement saying that we will deploy a mass movement. We were just being emotional because (Amalia and Richard) were supposed to return home at 10pm, but they didn’t,” said Mr Singgih during a news conference held at the Friends of Ahok secretariat in Jakarta on Sunday (Jun 5).
Teman Ahok is a volunteer-run group campaigning for Mr Basuki’s attempt to contest as an independent candidate in Jakarta’s gubernatorial election next year.
On Saturday, the group said that if Amalia and Richard were not released immediately, it would go to the Singapore embassy in Jakarta with its “entire strength that the Friends of Ahok possesses.”
Their threat went viral on social media. Numerous social media posts in Indonesia had alleged that the two Indonesian activists were detained at Changi Airport.
The Singapore Embassy in Jakarta on Sunday denied claims that they were detained, saying the pair were denied entry into Singapore as they were intending to carry out political activities in the city-state.
“Two members of ‘Teman Ahok’ were not detained while they were in Singapore,” said the statement issued by the embassy. “They arrived in Singapore on Jun 4, 2016, and were interviewed by Singapore officials.
“They informed immigration authorities that they were in Singapore to conduct political activities including raising campaign funds. They were therefore denied entry into Singapore and arrangements were made for them to return to Indonesia,” it said.
The Indonesian Embassy in Singapore also issued a statement saying that the pair were “not detained” in Singapore, and reiterated that “Singapore law forbids political activities from being conducted in Singapore, and this law should be respected”.
The statement added: “The embassy had been in communication with Singapore authorities to facilitate their return to Jakarta on Jun 4, 2016. However, because of technical difficulties in the field, the two activists could not return on the last Garuda flight departing Singapore and would depart on the first Garuda flight out of Singapore on Jun 5, 2016, instead.
“Singapore immigration authorities had provided accommodation and sufficient services to the two activists,” the statement said.
The two Indonesians arrived back in Jakarta at 11am on Sunday.
Source: www.channelnewsasia.com
