Emergence as a presidential candidate Prabowo Indonesia this week made the United States faced the possibility of awkwardness, because they have to welcome another Asian leader who denied entering the country for allegedly linked to the mass murder.
Situations like this comes days after Washington must change attitudes and promising visas to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi elected, following his decisive victory in the presidential election. Modi banned from entering the United States in 2005.
Another possible change comes after a presidential candidate Prabowo for the July 9 elections.
Prabowo one time was the most reviled people in Indonesia, accused of kidnapping, human rights violations and an attempted coup after ex-law, the late President Suharto fell from power.
The New York Times reported in March that in 2000, the U.S. State Department refused to grant the former general's visa to attend his son's graduation at a university in Boston, but was never called reason.
Prabowo told Reuters in 2012 he was not given a U.S. visa for allegedly inciting riots that killed thousands of people after the fall of Suharto. He has denied all the allegations.
According to Amnesty International, Prabowo was discharged from the military because of her role in 1998, when he became commander of Kopassus, the disappearance of political activists.
Meanwhile, Modi refused to get a U.S. visa in 2005 based on U.S. law in 1998 prohibiting the entry of foreigners who have committed "particularly severe violations of religious freedom."
Modi has been accused of involvement in religious unrest in his native state of Gujarat in 2002, in which more than 1,000 people, mostly Muslims, were killed.
However, after Modi party triumphed in elections last week, U.S. President Barack Obama immediately called him to congratulate him and invite the new leader of a country that he calls a vital strategic partner for the White House.
The U.S. State Department said Modi will get A-1 visas granted to heads of state. Modi also has denied all the allegations and was never brought to be punished in India.
A-1 visa has diplomatic immunity and issued automatically, unless rejected Obama, who has the authority to refuse entry anyone who committed "crimes against humanity or other serious human rights violations, or have tried or conspiring to do so."
When asked if Prabowo would be treated the same as Modi if he wins the election in Indonesia, a State Department official said that the agency does not discuss individual visa cases.
"We can not speculate on the outcome of any visa application," he said in a written statement.
The official added that the United States remains "committed to a close relationship with Indonesia and hope that relationship continues."
Analysts believe Prabowo, like Modi, will be given a visa if he wins the election.
Ernie Bower, Southeast Asia experts from research institutions in the U.S. Center for Strategic and International Studies, said that as well as the announcement of martial law in Thailand this week, the case Prabowo inviting new headache while Washington tried to strengthen relations in Southeast Asia amid China's increasingly aggressive.
"For the United States, the most important is to focus on the mandate of the people of Indonesia. Washington should embrace and work with whoever the candidate is elected, "he said.
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