Isa Isarb: 'We were detained over spy suspicions during Indonesia haze shoot'
KUALA LUMPUR: Social media influencer Isa Isarb and his team were detained by Indonesian authorities while filming a haze documentary in the country recently, after they were suspected of being spies from Malaysia.
Social media influencer Isa Batharul Zaman, known as Isa Isarb, and his team were detained by Indonesian authorities while filming a haze documentary in the country. They were suspected of being Malaysian spies or receiving funds to topple the government. The team was actually filming a documentary on the haze, not plotting against Indonesia.
On the day of the incident, they stopped to interview students demonstrating against forest fires. Indonesian authorities approached them, suspecting visa misuse for filming and attending a demonstration. They were held in a police station, asked to unlock their phone, and questioned about their visit to Indonesia. Later, they were accused of being spies from Malaysia due to conversations with Malaysian politicians, including the deputy prime minister and a communications minister.
They feared up to 20 years in prison or execution if found guilty. The team spent six days in fear and questioned daily, missing their families. They were eventually released due to the good relations between Indonesia and Malaysia, and Isa Isarb hopes to share his experience to warn others not to use it for political gain.
Written by urgent.news from New Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
