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(KUALA LUMPUR) Malaysia has told neighbouring Indonesia to stop its citizens from threatening Malaysians following bilateral spats over a Balinese dance and the mistreatment of Indonesian housemaids in Malaysia.
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| Maid abuse: The latest row follows cases of Indonesian maids being abused by their Malaysian employers |
Anti-Malaysia rhetoric has soared in Indonesia since Indonesians accused Malaysia of stealing a Balinese dance for a TV promotional campaign about Malaysia last month.
It later turned out that Malaysia had nothing to do with the video that had mistakenly described the dance as Malaysian. The video was broadcast on the Discovery Channel cable network, which apologised for the mistake.
Indonesians are also upset about cases of Indonesian maids being abused by their Malaysian employers.
A small group of Indonesians roamed the streets of Jakarta on Tuesday, threatening to hurt Malaysians, according to media in both countries. No attacks were reported.
Malaysia's Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed 'grave concern' about the actions of some Indonesians that 'are intended to spark conflicts between the peoples of Malaysia and Indonesia'.
It also said that its ties with Indonesia, South-east Asia's largest economy, will weaken unless the country addresses actions by 'certain quarters' intended to spark conflict between the Muslim neighbours.
The burning of the Malaysian flag and demonstrations at its embassy in Jakarta are detrimental to bilateral relations, Malaysia's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
Indonesia should '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', according to the statement.
The ministry added Foreign Minister Anifah Aman summoned Indonesian Ambassador Da'I Bachtiar on Wednesday 'to express Malaysia's position on the conflicting issues which . . . resulted in the deterioration of the bilateral relations of both countries'.
Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak and other government officials met Indonesian representatives on Wednesday to discuss the problem and seek assurances of their citizens' safety.
Widyarka Ryananta, an Indonesian Embassy official in Kuala Lumpur, said Jakarta was taking steps to prevent the troubles from escalating. 'While there are some tensions among groups, our relationship is in a good condition,' Mr Ryananta said yesterday.
Small groups of Indonesians have staged anti-Malaysia demonstrations since early August over the use of the clip of Balinese 'Pendet' dancing to promote a series on Malaysia on Discovery Channel.
The network said the clip was sourced from an independent third party. -- AP, Bloomberg
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