Manohara's escape gets all attention

Manohara Odelia Pinot is kissed by her mother on arrival at their Jakarta home on Sunday. — AFP picture

TEENAGE US-Indonesian model Manohara Odelia Pinot was on the front pages of almost all the local newspapers yesterday.

The 17-year-old wife of Kelantan prince Tengku Temenggong Tengku Muhammad Fakhry Petra, who reportedly escaped from her husband in Singapore and returned to Jakarta, had also made the top news of the 10 private TV stations, detailing how she had been physically and sexually abused by her husband.

The nation was riveted by the beauty's account of how she ran away from her husband while in a hotel in Singapore with the help of the Singapore police, the US and Indonesian embassies.

The drama unfolded on Saturday when her mother, Daisy Fajarina, came to Singapore in an attempt to take her home.

According to Manohara, when the Kelantan royal family found out her mother was coming, they decided to shorten their trip there.
The royal family was in Singapore to visit the sultan of Kelantan, who was undergoing medical treatment.

Manohara alleged that members of the royal family also tried to lock her in a room in the hotel to prevent her from seeing her mother.

"But I kept on pressing the emergency bell of the hotel lift until the Singapore police came to my help," Manohara said in an interview with Global TV.

"The police said they could not hold me against my will as it was a violation of my rights," Manohara added in the interview, in which she spoke in English and Indonesian.

The police took Manohara to a room and her mother arrived shortly afterwards. Both mother and daughter flew back to Jakarta early on Sunday morning and held a press conference several hours later.

During the press conference, Manohara could be seen crying several times as she replied to reporters' questions.

"I was treated like a toy," Manohara reportedly said.

She also claimed her husband once slashed her on her chest with a razor.

"I have taken photos (of myself) with my Blackberry. My Blackberry has no SIM card but I can still take pictures.

"I don't love him any more. I want a divorce," she told Global TV.

Manohara also claimed she was injected with tranquillisers several times when she protested against the way she was treated.

Manohara said she would be undergoing a medical check-up before deciding her next course of action.

Indonesia's Foreign Ministry confirmed the US and Indonesian embassies were involved in helping Manohara return to Jakarta.

"She (Manohara) is eligible for help from the US government because she has US citizenship," said a Foreign Ministry spokesman.

Meanwhile, the Comptroller of the Kelantan Royal Household, Datuk Abdul Hamid Hamad, refused to comment, saying he had not been instructed to issue any statement on the matter. (NST)