INDONESIA plans to send a diplomatic note to the US secretary of state and summon Washington’s deputy ambassador in Jakarta to explain why the head of its military was denied entry to the US.

Armed Forces Commander General Gatot Nurmantyo was about to board a flight on Saturday when the airline told him the US Customs and Border Protection had denied him entry, military spokesman Wuryanto told a news conference in Jakarta yesterday.

Nurmantyo was invited to the US by General Joseph F. Dunford Jr., chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, to attend a Chiefs of Defense Conference on Countering Violent Extremism held in Washington today and tomorrow.

Wuryanto said it was unclear why he was not allowed to enter the US and there were no issues during his visit to the US in February last year.

“We’ve asked for clarification to the US, to the Department of State as well as the embassy in Jakarta and until now we’re still waiting for that clarification,” said Indonesia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi.

The ministry’s spokesman Arrmanatha Nasir said today that Indonesia’s embassy in Washington was to send a diplomatic note to the US secretary of state demanding explanation for the incident.The ministry will also summon the US deputy ambassador in Jakarta today to seek explanation, Nasir said.

He added that the ambassador is presently not in Indonesia.

The US embassy in Jakarta said in a statement it was in touch with Nurmantyo’s staff to facilitate his travel, but did not explain further.

“US Ambassador Joseph Donovan has apologised to Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi for any inconvenience to General Gatot,” the embassy wrote.

“We remain committed to our Strategic Partnership with Indonesia as a way to deliver security and prosperity to both our nations and peoples.”

Nurmantyo has frequently courted controversy in Indonesia for promoting the idea that Indonesia is besieged by “proxy wars” involving foreign states.