Indonesia will possibly negate the citizenship of its nationals arrested by Turkish authorities should they be adamant with their refusal to be repatriated to Indonesia.
Indonesia has sent teams from the foreign affairs ministry and the intelligence agency BIN to coordinate with Turkish authorities regarding further handling in the 16 Indonesian nationals now detained in Turkish detention center.
"If they are defiant, refuse to be returned to Indonesia, the government would possibly negate the citizenship of all of those 16 nationals," Xinhua quoted President Joko Widodo as saying during a visit to Jogjakarta on Friday.
The 16 Indonesia nationals were arrested in Gaziantep, a Turkish city located near the border with Syria following reports from Indonesian authorities about the its nationals going missing while they were on tour to Turkey since February 24.
They were arrested in the route commonly used by IS supporters to enter Syria.
They refused to be returned to Indonesia by Turkish authorities, saying that they have nothing left in Indonesia.
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All of those 16 Indonesian nationals allegedly have plans to join the Islamic State (IS) radical group in Syria since some of them have family links with Indonesian militants already killed in Syria with the IS.
Reports said that more than 500 Indonesian militants have joined IS, entering Syria through third countries. BIN has recorded that four Indonesian IS militants have been killed in Syrian wars so far.
Indonesia's Legal and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly said that the government has planned to issue a legal basis in relation to determining the citizenship status of those 16 nationals arrested in Turkey.
"Discussions (to issue the legal basis) are still underway. It could be a Perppu (President's Regulation in lieu of Law)," Yasonna said here on Friday.
He said the government has assumed that all the 16 nationals have the intention to join the IS in Syria.
In his response to a question, Indonesian Vice President Jusuf Kalla said on Thursday that the government would automatically negate the citizenship of Indonesian nationals who are waging for other countries.
During the administration of then president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Indonesia had banned the IS ideology from developing in the country as it was against values adhered by Indonesian people.
The authorities have arrested IS supporters and operatives trying to recruit people in Indonesia.