Manohara case: Kelantan palace says marriage is personal

The Star , Kuala Lumpur | Sat, 06/27/2009 8:59 PM | World

The Kelantan palace has reiterated that the marriage of Tengku Temenggong Kelantan, Tengku Muhammad Fakhry Sultan Ismail Petra and Manohara Odelia Pinot was a personal matter.

In a statement to Bernama on Saturday, Royal Palace Coordinator Datuk Abdul Halim Hamad said that as such, it had nothing to do with the Sultan of Kelantan.

Abdul Halim said the statement was issued as instructed by Tengku Muhammad Faris.

"It is hoped that the issue will be resolved fairly according to the law. I hope both of them will be given enough space to solve their problems," he said.

This is the first time the Kelantan palace has issued a statement on the marriage after Manohara ran away from the prince last month in Singapore where the couple had gone to visit the Sultan who was recovering from a heart ailment at the Mount Elizabeth Hospital.

Manohara, a former Indonesian model, has filed for divorce, accusing her husband of physically abusing her, while her husband lodged a police report, denying allegations made against him by his wife and her mother, Daisy Fajarina.

Meanwhile, Abdul Halim said that the Sultan, who was still receiving treatment at the Mount Elizabeth Hospital in Singapore, was in stable condition.

He said all members of the royal family were also in Singapore.