Singapore embassy rejects claims of meeting with Indonesian figures, says it’s ‘disinformation’

Both men have separately rejected the allegations.

Dino, who previously also served as ambassador to the United States, said he was in Perth, Australia, from Oct 18 to 20 to attend a climate change event organised by non-governmental organisation Global Citizen.

He said he had spoken at a session on climate change and met Timor-Leste President Jose Ramos-Horta during the visit, returning to Indonesia only on the evening of Oct 20.

“The news is 100 per cent fictitious, totally fabricated,” Dino said in an Instagram post on Oct 25.

He added that he had not visited the Singapore ambassador’s residence in Jakarta for years, although he maintained a good relationship with the diplomat.

Dino, who founded the Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia, also denied having met Saiful, saying he had no dealings with the political researcher.

In an Instagram video on Oct 22, Dino said suggestions that Singapore was trying to undermine Indonesia’s economy were baseless, pointing to the close economic ties between the two countries.

Dino said the subsequent social media posts appeared intended to portray him as unpatriotic and suggest he had improper ties to Singapore.

He also suspected that the false claims were being spread through multiple social media accounts in a coordinated manner, although he did not identify those responsible.

Dino said then that he would raise the matter with Indonesia’s Communication and Digital Affairs Minister Meutya Hafid, warning that such disinformation could be used to intimidate people who spoke out publicly.

Separately, Saiful, a prominent political researcher and founder of leading polling organisation Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting (SMRC), told Metro TV on Oct 25 that he had never spoken to or met either Dino or Singapore’s ambassador.

“I have never spoken, directly or indirectly, let alone met Dino Patti Djalal, nor have I ever spoken to or met the Singapore ambassador to Indonesia anywhere,” he said.

Saiful said he was surprised that the claims had spread so widely, adding that he might consider investigating their origins and pursuing legal action if necessary. – The Straits Times/ANN