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.
In a statement posted on social media, Isa Isarb, whose real name is Isa Batharul Zaman, 28, said authorities also suspected them of receiving funds from certain parties to topple a government.
He said their actual purpose in visiting Indonesia was to film a documentary on the haze.
“On the day of the incident, we were on our way to an area where a forest fire had occurred when we saw a crowd gathering at a student demonstration.
“We stopped to interview some of them. Not long after, 10 to 15 Indonesian authorities approached us. One of them asked whether I was Isa Batharul, although I am better known as Isa Isarb,” he said.
He said they sensed something was amiss before being detained for allegedly misusing their tourist visas.
“Based on the explanation given, the visa did not allow us to film or be at a demonstration site.
“At the police station, I was asked to unlock my phone and explain the purpose of our visit to Indonesia. I fully cooperated throughout the questioning before we spent the night in a lock-up,” he said.
He said he became anxious the following day when about 40 more personnel, including members of the cyber security team equipped with advanced technology and senior officers whose identities were unclear, arrived at the initially quiet police station.
He feared they could become victims of circumstances or be made scapegoats for certain parties.
“The next morning, I was told we were suspected of being spies from Malaysia because there was evidence of conversations with several Malaysian politicians.
“The conversations referred to were between me and the teams of the deputy prime minister, Muar member of parliament Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman and Communications Minister Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil. They were simply arrangements to invite them for interviews for the haze documentary we were filming,” he said.
He said an invitation to parliament during the same week had further complicated matters during questioning, although the purpose was to interview the MP.
“The location was chosen to accommodate his busy schedule, especially as he had just got married.
“We were terrified at the thought of facing 20 years in prison or death by firing squad if convicted of espionage,” he said.
He said they spent the next six days in fear and were questioned daily, to the point where they felt they had run out of hope.
He also described missing his wife and child while worrying about their future if he were sentenced in Indonesia.
“I tried to calm myself by drawing their faces on the lock-up wall using a metal pin from the detention notice given to me.
“On some nights, I suffered panic attacks because I felt trapped within four walls, not knowing what awaited me the next day,” he said.
He said they were eventually able to return home, thanks to the good relations between the Indonesian and Malaysian governments.
He thanked the Indonesian government for treating them fairly throughout the investigation and the Malaysian government for assisting them when needed.
He hoped to share more details of the experience as a lesson to others, but did not want the incident to be used as campaign material or for anyone’s political interests.