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