Indonesia has ruled out any military operation to secure the release of controversial social media personality and fashion designer Arnold Putra, who is serving a seven-year prison sentence in Myanmar, and is instead turning to defence diplomacy and quiet negotiations to resolve a case that has become a political headache in Jakarta.
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Arnold, 33, known for his provocative online persona and content, was convicted in March by Myanmar’s military junta of entering the country illegally and engaging with an ethnic armed group. He was sentenced to seven years in Yangon’s Insein Prison, with the verdict now final and binding.
Some lawmakers have urged the government to take strong action to free Arnold. On July 3, Deputy Speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad told reporters that while diplomacy should remain the main path, “if diplomacy fails, we will urge the government to consider the option of a non-combat military operation”.
But top officials, including Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, have made it clear that military intervention is not on the table. “That’s not the approach we’re taking,” he told reporters on Wednesday, emphasising the need to engage Myanmar’s military-led government through established diplomatic and defence channels.
State Secretary Minister Prasetyo Hadi also told reporters on Monday that Arnold’s incarceration in Myanmar was “not a military matter” in response to a question about the possibility of an operation.
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