F-16 fighter jets remain on alert near Ambalat oil block

F-16 fighter jets remain on alert near Ambalat oil block

An F-16 fighter jet stationed at Sepinggan Airport in
Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, takes off on a routine
patrol near the Ambalat offshore oil field, which is disputed by
Indonesia and Malaysia.

The chief of the Navy's eastern fleet, Adm. Sosialisman, said
on Tuesday that four F-16 jet fighters remained on alert at the
airport to assist the seven warships patrolling the disputed area
in the Sulawesi Sea, especially the area where a lighthouse is
being constructed on Karang Ungaran in East Kalimantan.

Warships from both countries came into close proximity in the
disputed waters on several occasions after Malaysian state oil
firm Petronas awarded Dutch energy giant Shell an oil concession
in the Ambalat block, he said.

Sosialisman also warned the Malaysian Navy not to fire on the
Indonesian warships as they would return fire.

Eastern fleet task force coordinating and executive officer,
Col. Marsetio, said that the Indonesia and Malaysia warships had
so far been patrolling in turns and that the situation in the
Ambalat block remained tense. --JP/ID Nugroho