Indonesia to demand answers after military chief denied U.S. entry

FILE PHOTO: Indonesian military Chief Gatot Nurmantyo talks to reporters in Jakarta, Indonesia, January 5, 2017. REUTERS/Beawiharta

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Indonesia intends to send a diplomatic note to the U.S. secretary of state and summon Washington's deputy ambassador in Jakarta to explain why the head of its military was denied entry to the United States, an Indonesian official said on Sunday.

Indonesia's Armed Forces Commander General Gatot Nurmantyo was about to board a flight on Saturday when the airline informed him that U.S. authorities had denied him entry, according to Indonesian media reports.