Indonesia called me a spy, says Malaysian haze filmmaker

Filmmaker Isa Batharul Zaman, widely known as Isa Isarb, claims he was detained by Indonesian authorities and accused of being a Malaysian spy while filming protests over forest fires. The filmmaker, who was in Indonesia to create a documentary about the haze, was arrested along with other individuals suspected of misusing their tourist visas.

Officials informed him that his visa did not permit filming or participating in demonstrations, according to Sinar Harian. Isa was questioned at a police station, where he was asked to explain his purpose for being in Indonesia, and spent the night in a lockup. The next day, he was accused of espionage, with authorities citing conversations he had with Malaysian politicians as evidence.

These discussions involved the Malaysian deputy prime minister’s team, Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, and communications minister Fahmi Fadzil, all related to interviews Isa sought for his documentary. The filmmaker's invitation to Parliament earlier in the week also raised suspicions during his questioning. Isa was permitted to return to Malaysia due to the strong relations between Putrajaya and Jakarta.

He plans to release his documentary on his YouTube channel shortly after the Melaka polls, but stressed that he does not want the situation to be politicized.