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Gen. Suryo’s immigration kerfuffle not due to blacklisting: Ministry
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Lt. Gen. (ret) Suryo Prabowo. (kompas.com/Arimbi Ramadhiani)
T
he government has denied reports that Indonesian Army Lt. Gen. (ret) Suryo Prabowo has been blacklisted by Singapore, saying that he was questioned by immigration officials over identity clarification.
"Immigration has said that it was a routine inquiry by immigration authorities due to the common name," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Arrmanatha Nasir told The Jakarta Post on Monday, suggesting a similar name may have been the cause behind the unexpected delay.
Arrmanatha said that Suryo's identity had been cleared following questioning and that he was able to continue on his journey. The spokesman showed no indication that the ministry would file a note of protest as requested by Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo, saying that they had coordinated with the Indonesian Embassy in Singapore and with immigration to obtain clarification.
Previously, Suryo had complained on social media that he was denied entry to Singapore during his transit at Singapore Changi Airport on Aug. 17 because he was "blacklisted". In response, military chief Gen. Gatot had called for the Foreign Ministry to lodge a note of protest with Singaporean authorities for the "hostility" shown to the retired general.
Over the weekend, Singapore’s Immigration and Checkpoints Authority (ICA) issued a statement to deny reports that Suryo had been detained. ICA offered no apology, insisting that the 30-minute questioning at 5:35 a.m. with the Indonesian Army's former chief of general staff was part of “screening procedures” for border security. (evi)
