The Immigration Department of Malaysia has apprehended two “royal members” of the self-proclaimed Sunda Empire for 13 years. In 2007, the 2 ladies tried to go into the country with invalid passports and refused to identify themselves as Indonesian people.
An attorney representing the group’s leaders, determined as Erwin, stated the two detainees were Fathia Reza and Lamira Roro, daughters of the so-called grand prime minister of the Sunda Empire, Nasri Banks, and a woman who goes by the title “her royal imperial highness”, Raden Ratna Ningrum.
” They were detained due to the fact that officials considered they were stateless. When they were asked whether they were Indonesian citizens, they answered no and asserted that they were citizens of the Sunda Empire,” Erwin said on Wednesday, as quoted by kompas.com
The lawyer included that the 2 ladies had remained in detention considering that2007 The Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur had provided him information about the arrest in addition to a confirmation of the detention and its situations.
West Java Police representative Sr. Comr. Saptono Erlangga stated the police had not received any information about the case.
Agung Cahaya Sumirat, a representative from the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, said the two ladies, both in their thirties, were still in detention.
Agung included that the embassy and the Indonesian Consulate General in Kuching had actually spoken with the detainees to clarify their citizenship. Nevertheless, both females insisted that they were not Indonesian residents.
” We have done at least 3 interviews. They do not want to declare their Indonesian citizenship status,” said Agung on June 19, as estimated by tribunnews.com
Earlier this year, many Indonesians became mindful of self-proclaimed kingdoms within areas extensively considered to come from Indonesia. Video footage of the activities of these groups were distributed on the internet. Among the groups was the Sunda Empire, based in Bandung, West Java, which professed to be on an objective to settle the country’s financial obligation with the World Bank by 2020.
In addition to the Sunda Empire, web users were surprised by the development of “Keraton Agung Sejagat” or the “World Empire”, another self-proclaimed kingdom based in Purworejo regency, Central Java, declaring to be the successor to the ancient Majapahit Empire.
Many of those associated with the facility of the self-proclaimed kingdoms were charged with fraud.
The introduction of unacknowledged kingdoms has actually concerned academics and historical observers, who fear that the previous grandeur of ancient kingdoms could be utilized for deception and getting power. (syk)
