RI ‘concerned’, ‘regretful’ over public Tor-tor furor against Malaysia

The Indonesian government has expressed regret to the Malaysian government regarding violent acts by protesters at Malaysia Hall and provocative remarks made by an Indonesian politician in Jakarta.

It also says the two countries’ bilateral relations remain intact despite repeated claims that Malaysia has made on Indonesian cultural heritages that has angered many Indonesians.

The spokesman for the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Suryana Sastradiredja, said on Tuesday that Indonesian Embassy chargé d’affaires Mulya Wirana was summoned by Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman at 3 p.m. local time (2 p.m. Jakarta time) on Monday over the matter.

“We expressed our concern and regret [to the Malaysian government],” Suryana told The Jakarta Post in regards to both the violent protests and the Indonesian politician’s provocative remarks.

“We’ll convey all Malaysia’s objections to Jakarta.”

Suryana said Mulya had told the Malaysian government that the violent protests did not reflect every Indonesian’s sentiment and that the Indonesian politician was speaking on a personal level, and “they understood”.

A group of about 50 Indonesians threw stones and pieces of wood at the Malaysia Hall building in Jakarta on Friday, damaging parts of it and injuring a security guard, The Star reported.

They had earlier protested outside the Malaysian Embassy, about 5 kilometers away, where they burned the Malaysian flag and threw eggs into the compound.

The group was protesting Malaysia’s decision to recognize two North Sumatra cultural items – the Tor-tor dance and the Gordang Sambilan musical ensemble – as part of Malaysia’s national heritage.

Meanwhile, Anifah said as quoted by The Star that an Indonesian lawmaker had made a provocative statement on a MetroTV program, Neo Democrazy, on June 21. But he did not identify the lawmaker.

The lawmaker Anifah was referring to is believed to be Ruhut Sitompul, a North Sumatran, of the ruling Democratic Party, who suggested that Malaysia should be bombed.