M’sian Influencer Claims He Was Detained for 6 Days While Filming Haze Documentary in Indonesia Over Spy Suspicions

A social media influencer has been making headlines after claiming that he and his team were detained by Indonesian authorities during their recent visit to the country.

Taking to Threads, Isa Isarb said that they were in Indonesia to film a documentary about the haze when they were suspected of being Malaysian spies or individuals paid by certain parties to overthrow the government.

Malaysian influencer accused of being spy while filming haze documentary in Indonesia

According to Isa, they were on their way to a forest fire site when they noticed a crowd gathering at a student demonstration. They decided to make a stop and interview a few people at the scene.

However, things took an unexpected turn when they were approached by 10 to 15 Indonesian authorities shortly after. One of the officers even asked if he was Isa Batharul, despite him being better known as Isa Isarb.

He added that they were later detained for allegedly misusing their tourist visas, as they were reportedly not allowed to film or visit demonstration sites under the visa conditions.

“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.

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Isa said the situation became increasingly worrying the following day when another 40 personnel arrived at the police station, which had initially been quiet. The group reportedly included members of a cyber security team equipped with advanced technology, as well as several unidentified senior officers.

He said they began to fear that they might be caught up in something bigger or used as scapegoats to serve certain parties’ interests.

“The following morning, I was told that we were suspected of being Malaysian spies because there was evidence of conversations with several Malaysian politicians.

“The conversations in question were between me and the team of the Deputy Prime Minister, Muar MP Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman, and Communications Minister Datuk Seri Fahmi Fadzil. However, these were simply discussions to invite them for interviews for the haze documentary we were filming,” he said.

Isa and his team were able to return home

Isa also shared that their invitation to visit the Malaysian Parliament that same week raised further suspicions during the interrogation, even though the visit was simply arranged to interview Syed Saddiq.

“The location was chosen to accommodate his busy schedule, especially since he (Syed Saddiq) had recently gotten married. We were so frightened just thinking about the possibility of facing 20 years in prison or even the death penalty by firing squad if we were found guilty of espionage,” he said.

He added that the following six days were particularly difficult, as they continued to face daily interrogations while fearing what might happen to them.

“All we could do was accept our fate while continuing to cooperate fully. I missed my wife and child so much, and couldn’t help worrying about what would happen to them if I were sentenced in Indonesia,” he said.

Fortunately, Isa said that they were eventually able to return home, thanks to the strong diplomatic ties between the Indonesian and Malaysian governments.

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