Feisal opens military exercises

JAKARTA (JP): Armed Forces Commander Gen. Feisal Tanjung (standing, right, on armored car, photo below) opened Indonesia's largest-ever military exercises yesterday, stressing the importance of the event to maintain the forces' professionalism to cope with both internal and external threats.

"The third large-scale combined forces exercise is aimed at examining the military's ... effectiveness in dealing with developing threats and at maintaining and improving soldiers' professionalism," he said in a ceremony at the Halim Perdanakusumah air-base.

More than 1,000 soldiers, including members of the Army's special force Kopassus and Strategic Reserve Command (Kostrad), the Marine Corps and the Air Force's special force Paskhas, attended the ceremony.

The wargames, that will take place around the Natuna islands in the South China Sea until Sept. 19, involve more than 19,500 troops, 40 fighter jets and 50 warships. The exercises will include beach-landing drills, paratrooper air-drops and commando drills.

Later on in the day, while observing the repatriation of the last group of Vietnamese refugees from Galang Island in Riau, Feisal denied speculation that the exercises were intended to be a warning.

"No, it's not a show of force," Feisal told reporters.

He said the Natuna Islands were "Indonesia's own territory" and the country could use the islands however it wanted.

The Armed Forces had earlier declared it had "no intention of provoking other countries by holding the joint exercises" which are the "the biggest and the most complex ever organized" in Indonesia.

China has reportedly said it is keeping an eye on the exercises being staged around the oil and gas-rich Natunas, more than 1,600 kilometers north of Jakarta, to which Beijing has made a veiled claim.

Jakarta was put on its guard in 1993 when China published a map which appeared to lay claim to part of the territorial waters around the islands.

AFP reported that Beijing reacted warily. "China's stance toward the South China Sea is pretty clear," a foreign ministry spokesman said.

"We hope that the country concerned will not take any action to complicate the situation of this area in order to maintain regional peace and stability, " the spokesman said.

The seabed in the area, located between Kalimantan and the Malaysian peninsula, is being explored under a deal between state-owned oil company Pertamina and US firm Exxon signed last November. More than 35 billion dollars are to be invested there. (rms)