An Australian man to be deported from Indonesia for allegedly prospecting for gold without permits is being set up by "annoyed, influential people" seeking revenge, his brother says.
Richard Peter Monaghan and Michael Edward Pedlow were arrested on January 5 by military personnel who said the pair were exploring for gold at Pengalong Mountain on the island of Lombok, Indonesia's Mataram Immigration Office said on Thursday.
Documents from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs seen by AAP indicate the men were on Lombok to provide water drilling services for the tourist sector on land owned by Mr Pedlow.
But Mataram Immigration Office chief Husni Thamrin said a camp built by the men "for gold exploration" was discovered by the Indonesian military.
He said both men were employed by Jakarta-based companies but would soon be deported because they did not have the appropriate stay permits to work in Indonesia.
Mr Pedlow's friend Grant Robertson told DFAT that despite Mr Pedlow and Mr Monaghan securing permission to work from authorities and community leaders, 10 masked men stormed their worksite on Christmas Eve.
Three days later, a "truck full" of Indonesian military personnel arrived and demanded the men stop work.
Mr Robertson said the military also spread a rumour the men were mining gold, causing locals to amass at the site and demand they leave.
"Mr Robertson theorised that the problem likely originated from a run-in they had with a low-ranking (military) officer in mid-December who had come to the worksite demanding that they go through him to arrange security for the site," the DFAT document says.
Ken Pedlow said his brother had been working in Indonesia for about 10 years and had the necessary documents.
"This is a set-up job," he told AAP.
"He was involved in a court case with a former employer. He won that case but the case is now on appeal. I think he has annoyed some influential people and they're out to get revenge."
DFAT has been contacted for comment.
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