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Minister orders probe into Usman-Harun stunt
Bad taste?: A journalist (center) poses with two members of the Indonesian Navy dressed as late marines Usman bin Haji Muhammad Ali and Harun bin Said at a defense exhibition in Jakarta on Wednesday
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Bad taste?: A journalist (center) poses with two members of the Indonesian Navy dressed as late marines Usman bin Haji Muhammad Ali and Harun bin Said at a defense exhibition in Jakarta on Wednesday. (Antara/Andika Wahyu) (center) poses with two members of the Indonesian Navy dressed as late marines Usman bin Haji Muhammad Ali and Harun bin Said at a defense exhibition in Jakarta on Wednesday. (Antara/Andika Wahyu)
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span class="caption" style="width: 497px;">Bad taste?: A journalist (center) poses with two members of the Indonesian Navy dressed as late marines Usman bin Haji Muhammad Ali and Harun bin Said at a defense exhibition in Jakarta on Wednesday. (Antara/Andika Wahyu)
Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro has said he regrets a diplomatic incident on Wednesday in which two Indonesian marines wore the names of the two perpetrators of a 1965 Singapore bombing, while on duty at an international defense event in Jakarta on Wednesday.
The minister said the incident at the Jakarta International Defense Dialogue (JIDD), which prompted the Singaporean delegation to walk out of the talks, was inappropriate and he had ordered the Navy to fully investigate the embarrassing behavior of the two Indonesian marines involved.
'We have asked the Navy to investigate who they are and who sent them,' Purnomo said at the State Palace on Friday.
The two men posed as Usman bin Haji Muhammad Ali and Harun bin Said, the two Indonesian marines who were executed in
1968 for the deadly 1965 MacDonald House bombing in Singapore, during the period of Indonesia's Konfrontasi (Confrontation) against the Federation of Malaysia ' of which Singapore was a part.
The men, dressed in vintage uniforms and purple berets, with 'Usman' and 'Harun' on their chests, were seen at the defense exhibition during the JIDD, an international event attended by 45 countries, including Singapore.
Their presence attracted attention from visitors, many of whom posed with the two marines. The men reportedly looked confident about their behavior and seemed to enjoy the public attention.
'We are seeking clarification [about why this occurred] as we had no intention of having men portraying Usman and Harun [here],' said the minister.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was reportedly also informed about the incident.
The Wednesday stunt was the latest complication following Indonesia's move to name a patrol vessel KRI Usman-Harun, which drew protests from Singapore and strained bilateral ties last month. The Indonesian government insisted it was a purely domestic affair.
Singapore expressed disappointment over the Wednesday incident and said it had pulled a delegation from its armed forces out of the event following the stunt.
Purnomo initially suggested that anyone could have entered the venue to see the exhibition. However, regarding the stunt, he later added that 'clearly, it was inappropriate'.
A Singapore Foreign Affairs Ministry representative was quoted by the Straits Times as saying that Singapore was 'concerned and disappointed over the incident' and that the Singapore armed forces 'delegation at the JIDD withdrew from the event and returned to Singapore'.
