Indonesia vows to stand up to Malaysia in clash over fishing in Ambalat

Farouk Arnaz, April Aswadi, Nivell Rayda & Febriamy Hutapea, Jakarta Globe 3 Jun 09;

As tension rose over the disputed Ambalat waters, the National Police dispatched investigators on Tuesday to the Ambalat and Tarakan areas of East Kalimantan to help the local police in the wake of two recent standoffs between the ships of the Indonesian and Malaysian navies.

Brig. Gen. Boy Salamudin, the director of special crimes, told reporters at the Marine Police headquarters in Tarakan, just three hours sailing time from Ambalat, that the police were there to stop Malaysian vessels from illegally fishing in Indonesian waters.

“We will not sit by and let Malaysian vessels steal our fish,” he said. “The military is in charge of our country’s defense while the police will ensure our national security. We are protecting our jurisdiction and our own sovereignty.”

The Ambalat dispute returned to the fore when the Indonesian Navy intercepted a Malaysian naval ship encroaching 12 nautical miles into Indonesian territory on May 25.

Salamudin said that since then, at least 11 Malaysian vessels had been apprehended for illegally entering Indonesian waters, allegedly stealing fish and causing environmental damage.

In the latest incident, police apprehended a 50-ton shipping vessel that had been operating in Indonesian waters for months, posing as an Indonesian ship.

Shortly before returning to Indonesia on Tuesday from an Asean-South Korea summit in Jeju, South Korea, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said Indonesia would not tolerate Malaysia’s claim over the area.

“Malaysia’s claim is unacceptable because the area is within Indonesia’s territory,” he said.

“There will be no compromise but we will resolve the matter without risking peace and relationships between Indonesia and our neighboring country, Malaysia.”

Despite Indonesia’s request, Foreign Ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said the Malaysian government had not given any confirmation to resume talks.

Since 2005, the countries have met 13 times to resolve the dispute but are yet to reach any agreement.

After the May 25 incident, Indonesia requested another discussion be held. However, before any talks could occur, the Navy again detected a Malaysian fast-attack craft entering Indonesian Ambalat on Saturday.

“The Malaysian government is still consolidating internally, forming a new team of negotiators. But there is no sign when they will be ready to meet us at the negotiating table,” Teuku said .

Ikrar Nusa Bakti, a military and political analyst from the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), criticized the government’s cuts to the military budget. “The problem in Ambalat should be faced with military strength,” he said.