JAKARTA, KOMPAS — US Homeland Security Department spokesman Dave Lapan said the American Embassy in Jakarta had informed the office of Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) Commander Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo that he might be delayed in leaving for the US because of “US security protocols”.
Lapan clarified that the US government was unable to resolve the matter before Nurmantyo arrived at the airport and was prevented from boarding the airplane. The general was eventually allowed to depart and booked on another flight. However, said Lapan, “he chose not to travel”.
“The US government is dedicated to ensuring that all persons traveling to the United States are screened and properly vetted. We regret that the passenger and his wife were inconvenienced,” Lapan said in Washington, DC on Monday (23/10), in an email statement that was quoted by Reuters news agency.
Lapan declined to clarify the problem with the security protocols that prevented Gatot from departing to the US on Saturday. On that day, when he was about to go to Washington, DC to fulfill the invitation of US Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford, Jr, an Emirates airline staffer told Gatot that the US Customs and Border Protection had barred him from entering the US.
When asked about Lapan\'s statements, TNI Information Center head Maj. Gen. Wuryanto said no communication from the US Homeland Security Department had been received with regard to anything before Emirates told Gatot and his wife that they could not depart. "We are just reporting facts. We are even astonished as to why Emirates, a private airline, informed [the TNI Commander] just before boarding," he said.
Wuryanto further said that the reason for the delay was confusing because visas for all delegation members had been issued.
Separately, Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi said that the Indonesian government appreciated the apology and lifting the entry ban on Gatot Nurmantyo. However, Indonesia still required further explanation from the US government over the incident.
Retno said the travel ban to the US for Gatot had been cleared. The US government welcomed Gatot to visit the country at any time.
Meanwhile, Vice President Jusuf Kalla said there had been good communication between the foreign ministry and the US Embassy in Jakarta. However, as of Monday morning, Kalla said he still did not know the real reason behind the ban.
In connection with the incident, Gatot Nurmantyo emphasized that he would go to the US only on the order of the President. He was disappointed because he could not meet Joseph Dunford, Jr.
"I was on duty to the US on the order of the President, as a representative of the government. As soon as [I discovered] I could not leave, I reported to the President, the Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs, and the Foreign Minister, so that I cannot comment on anything. Ask the Foreign Minister," said Gatot.