Wednesday, September 12, 2007

Self-professed 'princesses' from ancient Indonesian monarchy face Malaysia court

Two women claiming to be princesses from an ancient Indonesian empire were charged in a Malaysian court Wednesday with entering the country illegally.

Malaysian immigration authorities arrested Puteri Lamia Roro Wiranata, 21, and Puteri Fathia Reza, 23, in a buffer zone between the sultanate of Brunei and Malaysia's Sarawak state on July 16. The women claimed they had been living "in exile" in Switzerland and Germany and that they were visiting Southeast Asia using passports "issued by the Sunda Democratic Empire.

The "empire" refers to the former monarchies of the Sundanese people in Indonesia dating back centuries - no longer recognized by Indonesia and other countries in the region.

State prosecutors charged them Wednesday in Sarawak's High Court with entering Malaysia illegally and representing themselves with false travel documents.

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