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JAKARTA. US pop singer Lady Gaga has apologized to her Indonesian fans for cancelling her planned June 3 concert at Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta.
"We had to cancel the concert in Indonesia. I'm so very sorry to the fans and just as devastated as you, if not more. You are everything to me," she said, through her official Twitter account, @ladygaga, on Sunday evening.
Earlier on Sunday, local promoter Big Daddy Entertainment told reporters in Jakarta that Gaga’s management had called their company in the morning to cancel her performance in the capital.
According to company executive Michael Rusli, the Grammy Award-winning artist's management decided to cancel the planned concert due to "security concerns".
Despite this turn of events, Lady Gaga hinted to Indonesian fans that she would give them special compensation for the cancellation.
"I will try to put together something special for you. My love for Indonesia has only grown. #GagaSendsLoveToJakarta and all its people," she wrote.
Lady Gaga had previously spoken out about the drama surrounding her Jakarta concert, noting censorship concerns and threats of violence against her.
"The Jakarta situation is two-fold: Indonesian authorities demand I censor the show and religious extremists are threatening violence," she posted on Twitter on May 22. “If the show does go ahead as scheduled, I will perform the BTWBall [Born This Way Ball] alone.”
One of the authorities referred to was Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali, who had previously said that Gaga "indulges in pornography by wearing revealing costumes" and that she would have a negative influence on young Indonesians.
There are also groups like the Islam Defenders Front (FPI), which has expressed strong opposition to the Grammy Award-winning artist, with FPI chief, Habib Salim Alatas, saying that Gaga brings "the faith of Satan to our country and thus will destroy the nation’s morals".
The FPI had even threatened to send its members to intercept the singer if she were to arrive in Indonesia.
In addition to these religious and political figures, the police also made it difficult for Lady Gaga to come to Indonesia.
The Jakarta Police, for instance, refused to recommend that the National Police issue a concert permit.
The National Police, in turn, set Gaga's concert promoters a large set of requirements in order for her to get a permit, which included asking for recommendations from groups like the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) and the Religious Affairs Ministry, both of which had expressed strong disapproval of the artist.
Due to the cancellation, Big Daddy Entertainment said they would refund the 52,000 tickets that fans had bought, 12,000 of which were purchased by overseas concertgoers, including from Australia and the Philippines. (The Jakarta Post)
