Opinion | Indonesia’s arrest of US journalist reflects trend of xenophobia against Westerners
- Philip Jacobson, an editor for a local environmental website, was recently arrested after being spotted at a legislative meeting
- The case is the latest instance of a Westerner being imprisoned or blacklisted on charges ranging from ‘visa violations’ to ‘espionage’ and ‘hurting Indonesia’
Indonesia’s arbitrary arrest and imprisonment of an American environmental journalist earlier this month, for the “crime” of attending a public legislative hearing on indigenous land rights in Borneo, would be considered uncalled for, in democratic countries, at least.
Philip Jacobson, an editor for international environmental website Mongabay, was arrested on December 18 and then tossed into a detention centre on January 21, after being spotted at a legislative meeting in Borneo’s Central Kalimantan province, the capital of which is Palangkaraya.
The case is the latest instance of a Westerner being imprisoned or blacklisted on allegations and court convictions ranging from “visa violations” to “espionage” and “hurting Indonesia”.
It’s like, ‘Foreigners, they are not welcome here. Their money is welcome, but not them’.
Foreign journalists seem to be a prime target. In the case of Jacobson, he was not reporting, taking photographs or even notes, he said. But he had been trailed back to his accommodation, questioned, put under city arrest, and then later taken into custody with a threat of a five-year prison sentence for visa violations.
