SBY asks Indonesians not to harass Malaysians - Taken from the Jakarta Post Online

Don't harass Malaysians, SBY says

Erwida Maulia and Ary Hermawan , The Jakarta Post , Jakarta | Fri, 09/11/2009 3:11 PM | World

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono told the Indonesian public on Thursday not to harass Malaysian citizens residing in the country, saying the actions taken by a group of nationalist earlier in the week were "excessive".

The president said the group broke the law and risked harming ties between Indonesia and Malaysia when it set up a road block in Central Jakarta looking for Malaysians to "sweep" out of the country.

"The *Indonesian* government has done our part. We have officially protested and taken diplomatic actions. We are working, and the Eminent Persons Group *a group established to improve Indonesia-Malaysia ties* is working. Why does there have to be such excessive actions?" said Yudhoyono at the Presidential Office.

The President reminded the nation that about 1.8 million Indonesian citizens are currently working, living or studying in Malaysia, and that they could face the consequences of the harassment.

"On principal issues, like territorial boundaries, we have to be firm. On the Ambalat dispute, on things related to national sovereignty, we're being firm. On other issues I believe there is still a better way out," the President said.

The Jakarta police dispersed a group of people who conducted an ID check targeting Malaysian nationals on Tuesday, following a series of spats between Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur over their alleged cultural "theft" and ongoing border disputes.

Malaysia is concerned by the incident and has summoned Indonesia's Ambassador, Da'i Bachtiar for clarification and to assure the safety of its citizens living in Indonesia.

Malaysia's Foreign Ministry issued Wednesday a statement urging the Indonesian government "to take the necessary actions in order to ensure the welfare and well-being of Malaysian citizens in Indonesia are taken care of, as well as to ensure that such aggressive actions of certain extremists in Indonesia are curtailed immediately."

Police spokesman Insp. Gen. Nanan Sukarna said on Thursday the police could not ban citizens from expressing their opinions, but made it clear they would not tolerate flag-burnings or the interrogation of members of the public.

Nanan however played down Tuesday's bullying by the nationalist groups, saying the media should not hype such incidents. He added that there had been no official request from the Malaysian Embassy in Jakarta to boost security near their premises, although the activists said they planned to conduct the next rally near the embassy.

"We will do our job as usual," he said.