JAKARTA (Jakarta Post/ANN): Indonesia has lodged a formal complaint with authorities in the United Kingdom after a provocative act by a British adult film actress at the country’s diplomatic mission in London was deemed to have desecrated the Red and White national flag.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Yvonne Mewengkang said the incident occurred on Dec 15 and was widely circulated on social media.
“The Indonesian Embassy in London has filed a formal complaint with the British authorities, including the Foreign Office and local police, requesting follow-up action in accordance with applicable laws and procedures,” Yvonne said on Dec 24, as quoted by state news agency Antara.
Indonesia regretted the incident, she said, stressing that the national flag was a symbol of the nation’s sovereignty and dignity that must be respected at all times, including in foreign countries.
“Freedom of expression cannot be used to justify actions that insult national symbols or undermine mutual respect in international relations,” she said.
Yvonne added that the Foreign Ministry urged the public to remain calm and not be provoked by online content that might fuel unnecessary controversy.
The woman involved in the incident, Tia Emma Billinger, 26, who goes by the stage name Bonnie Blue, was deported from Indonesia earlier this month and barred from re-entering the country for 10 years over immigration violations.
Badung Police detained Billinger, two British men, and an Australian man on Dec 4 at a studio in Pererenan village, Mengwi district, on suspicion of producing pornographic content following complaints of a public disturbance.
Investigators later said there was no evidence of violating the Pornography Law, but Billinger was found guilty of separate traffic offenses by the Denpasar District Court on Dec 12.
Yuldi Yusman, acting immigration director-general at the Immigration and Corrections Ministry, said on Dec 22 that the 10-year entry ban was imposed after authorities determined that Billinger and her associates had produced commercial content while they were in the country on visitor visas.
“Although the pornography allegations were unproven, [the group’s] activities violated the terms of their visas and ran counter to the government’s efforts to safeguard the image of Bali tourism and respect local cultural values,” he said. -- THE JAKARTA POST/ ASIA NEWS NETWORK
