Investigation continues into U.S. jets intrusion<\/p>\n
Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Concern over the possible unauthorized entry on Thursday of five
\nUnited States' F-18 Hornet warplanes into Indonesian airspace
\ncontinues as an investigation into the case goes on.<\/p>\n
U.S. embassy spokesman Stanley Harsha said that the U.S. jet
\nfighters did not violate Indonesia's airspace or international
\nlaw.<\/p>\n
\"We notified (the Indonesian government) prior to conducting
\nthe exercise. The aircraft maneuver is a normal procedure and
\nindeed it is in accordance with international law,\" Harsha told
\nThe Jakarta Post on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Harsha, however, refused to disclose the intended destination
\nof the planes, which were reportedly accompanying several U.S.
\nNavy vessels.<\/p>\n
Indonesia's Air Force spokesman Commodore Sagom Tamboen said
\nthat unlike Indonesia, the U.S. has not ratified a convention on
\nterritorial zones.<\/p>\n
Tamboen was referring to the 1944 Chicago Convention which
\nstipulates that each country holds full authority over its
\nterritory and that foreign countries' ships or planes wishing to
\npass through the territory have to secure a permit or get a
\ncertain agreement beforehand.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Hasjim Djalal, Indonesia's expert on international
\nlaw agreed with Harsha, saying the U.S. had not violated any law
\nbecause \"Indonesia has yet to determine its own sea lanes
\nconnecting the eastern and western zones.\"<\/p>\n
Based on the government regulation No. 37\/2002, he said,
\nIndonesia had only stated three sea lanes covering the northern
\nzone to the southern zone.<\/p>\n
Hasjim said that according to the international maritime law,
\nthe South China Sea, as well as the Karimata Sea, Java Sea, Sunda
\nSea and the Indian Ocean, were international routes that lead to
\nthe eastern zone, and \"since Indonesia has yet to confirm its
\neastern and western sea lanes, foreign planes and vessels are
\nfree to pass by.\"<\/p>\n
The Java Sea is on the route connecting the eastern and
\nwestern zones.<\/p>\n
Hasjim urged the government to immediately determine its sea
\nlanes so as to avoid such confusion in the future.<\/p>\n
Debate over Indonesia's sovereignty and its territorial zones
\nsurfaced after an incident involving the country's F-16 fighters
\nmade contact with five U.S. F-18 Hornet jets on Thursday while
\nperforming \"strange maneuvers for more than two hours above
\nBawean island in the Java Sea.\"<\/p>\n
Both sides were close to firing on each other as the F-18
\nfighters went into attack mode and had their missiles locked on
\nIndonesia's planes.<\/p>\n
The U.S. jet fighters were in the area escorting a U.S.
\naircraft carrier, two frigates and a tanker. Speculation has been
\nrife that the planes were on their way to Iraq.<\/p>\n
According to Sagom, the planes have left Indonesia's territory
\nand \"it is not our business what their destination is.\"<\/p>\n
\"The U.S. stance has put us in a difficult position because it
\nshows that we are prone to various such intrusions. But the Air
\nForce has no authority to discuss the matter because we leave all
\ndiplomatic issues to the Foreign Ministry and other related
\ninstitutions,\" Sagom told the Post.<\/p>\n
The ministry was not available for comment when contacted by
\nthe Post on Saturday.<\/p>\n
In Surabaya, Minister of Defense Matori Abdul Djalil said that
\nIndonesia had not issued any official statement on the case
\npending an investigation.<\/p>\n
The incident occurred amid controversies over the government
\ndecision to buy the Russian-made Sukhoi jet fighters for an
\nailing Air Force suffering from the military embargo imposed by
\nthe U.S. in 1999.<\/p>\n
Indonesia purchased several U.S.-made F-16s and F-5s, but only
\na few of them are currently operational due to a lack of spare
\nparts.<\/p>\n
Separately, legislator Alvin Lie of the National Mandate Party
\n(PAN) proposed on Saturday that Indonesia sell all its F-16s and
\nreplace them with the Sukhois because \"we have problems with the
\noperation of F-16s amidst serious threats of (national)
\ndisintegration.\"<\/p>\n
Alvin was referring to the war against the Free Aceh Movement
\n(GAM) rebels in Aceh.<\/p>\n
\"The embargo imposed by the U.S. is hurting the Indonesian
\npeople's hearts,\" Alvin said as quoted by Antara.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/investigation-continues-into-us-jets-intrusion-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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