Women held in Malaysia for 13 years insist they are ‘royals from Sunda Empire’
- Fathia Reza and Lamira Roro were detained in 2007 after arriving in Malaysia with passports from the self-proclaimed kingdom in Indonesia’s West Java
- They have refused to identify themselves as Indonesian citizens, rendering them stateless in Malaysia
Amy Chew
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Image of Fathia Reza, 36, and Lamira Roro, 34, who claim they are princesses from the Sunda Empire Photo: Facebook |
Two women claiming to be “royal members” from a nation called the “Sunda Empire” in Indonesia’s West Java have been detained by Malaysia’s Immigration Department for the past 13 years, as they refuse to be identified as Indonesian citizens and are thus deemed to be stateless.
The duo, Fathia Reza, 36 and Lamira Roro, 34, first arrived in Kuching, Sarawak, in 2007, and are currently being held at the Melaka Immigration Depot, according to the Indonesian embassy in Kuala Lumpur.
“They are detained for violating Malaysian Immigration regulations and for carrying a Sunda Empire passport, which is not recognised by the Malaysian authority,” said Agung Cahaya Sumirat, coordinator for information and social cultural affairs at the Indonesian embassy.
The Indonesian embassy in Kuala Lumpur and its consulate in Kuching, Sarawak state, said they had interviewed the women to clarify the status of their citizenship.
“But they refuse to acknowledge themselves as Indonesian citizens and were adamant in identifying themselves as citizens of the Sunda Empire,” Agung said.
“Our impression is that their belief in being a member of the Sudanese Empire is what matters most [to them],” he added.
“The Malaysian immigration said their status is stateless,” said Agung, adding that the two women spoke English and communicated well.
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Fathia Reza’s alleged passport. Photo: Facebook |
In January, Nasri Banks and his wife were arrested and charged for fraud in Indonesia.
The existence of self-proclaimed kingdoms within territories widely considered to belong to Indonesia came to the public’s attention earlier this year, local media said, after footage of the activities of these groups were circulated on the internet.
One of the groups was the Sunda Empire, based in Bandung, West Java, which professed to be on a mission to settle the country’s debt with the World Bank by 2020.
kt, don't tok tik tok, their grand prime minister should come and rescue them, silly princesses being abandoned by their own cult leader
ReplyDeletewhat is more interesting is that chap named agung something, can you imagine a cinabeng having such a name? those budak budak umno pas and lately mca would go berserk, reports will be recorded and our efficient police will jump into action
we love to talk royal from other countries to show we hv freedom of speech?
ReplyDeleteEven 70 years after Independence, Indonesia is still prickly sensitive on the issue of former Kingdoms and Royal Families within their territories.
ReplyDeleteDuring the centuries of Dutch colonial rule, Rulers who agreed to cooperate with the Dutch were often given substantial autonomy to govern their territories. So some of these Sultans and Rajas ran defacto governments right until 1950.
Every now and then claimants to "Independent Rule" surface in Indonesia, and the Indonesians quite ruthlessly stamp them out.
They see it as a risk of separatism.
Not that much different from CCP ruthlessly stamping out dissent among the Uyghurs in Xinjiang.
Few people except the Ka-Chau Americans bother to speak up for the Uyghurs. Almost everyone else are besotted with CCP Silver and Gold.
Who's pleasure r u besotted with, such that u can keep farting for them?
DeleteHmm...the AmeriKKKans would best STFU about 'speaking up' for the Uyghur Muslims given the millions of Muslims they had starved and bombed to death. Hypocrisy is the AmeriKKKans' religion.
DeleteExcerpts :
“Claims that China has detained millions of Uyghur Muslims are based largely on two studies. A closer look at these papers reveals US government backing, absurdly shoddy methodologies, and a rapture-ready evangelical researcher named Adrian Zenz.”
*While CHRD states that it interviewed dozens of ethnic Uyghurs in the course of its study, their enormous estimate was ultimately based on interviews with exactly eight Uyghur individuals.
*Thanks to questionable sources like the CHRD, the United States government has accused China of “arbitrarily detain[ing] 800,000 to possibly more than two million Uighurs, ethnic Kazakhs, and other Muslims in internment camps designed to erase religious and ethnic identities.”
*In its mounting pressure campaign against China, the US is not only relying on CHRD for data; it is directly funding its operations. As Ben Norton and Ajit Singh previously reported for The Grayzone, CHRD receives significant financial support from Washington’s regime-change arm, the National Endowment for Democracy (NED).
*Like the CHRD, Zenz arrived at his estimate “over 1 million” in a dubious manner. He based it on a single report by Istiqlal TV, a Uyghur exile media organization based in Turkey, which was republished by Newsweek Japan. Far from an impartial journalistic organization, Istiqlal TV advances the separatist cause while playing host to an assortment of extremist figures.
Who Is Adrian Zenz ? He is a Fundamentalist Christian ‘led by God’ in a mission against China, homosexuality, and gender equality.
Read more here : China detaining millions of Uyghurs? Serious problems with claims by US-backed NGO and far-right researcher 'led by God' against Beijing | The Grayzone
https://thegrayzone.com/2019/12/21/china-detaining-millions-uyghurs-problems-claims-us-ngo-researcher/
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