Investigation continues into U.S. jets intrusion
Investigation continues into U.S. jets intrusion
Tiarma Siboro, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Concern over the possible unauthorized entry on Thursday of five
United States' F-18 Hornet warplanes into Indonesian airspace
continues as an investigation into the case goes on.
U.S. embassy spokesman Stanley Harsha said that the U.S. jet
fighters did not violate Indonesia's airspace or international
law.
"We notified (the Indonesian government) prior to conducting
the exercise. The aircraft maneuver is a normal procedure and
indeed it is in accordance with international law," Harsha told
The Jakarta Post on Saturday.
Harsha, however, refused to disclose the intended destination
of the planes, which were reportedly accompanying several U.S.
Navy vessels.
Indonesia's Air Force spokesman Commodore Sagom Tamboen said
that unlike Indonesia, the U.S. has not ratified a convention on
territorial zones.
Tamboen was referring to the 1944 Chicago Convention which
stipulates that each country holds full authority over its
territory and that foreign countries' ships or planes wishing to
pass through the territory have to secure a permit or get a
certain agreement beforehand.
Meanwhile, Hasjim Djalal, Indonesia's expert on international
law agreed with Harsha, saying the U.S. had not violated any law
because "Indonesia has yet to determine its own sea lanes
connecting the eastern and western zones."
Based on the government regulation No. 37/2002, he said,
Indonesia had only stated three sea lanes covering the northern
zone to the southern zone.
Hasjim said that according to the international maritime law,
the South China Sea, as well as the Karimata Sea, Java Sea, Sunda
Sea and the Indian Ocean, were international routes that lead to
the eastern zone, and "since Indonesia has yet to confirm its
eastern and western sea lanes, foreign planes and vessels are
free to pass by."
The Java Sea is on the route connecting the eastern and
western zones.
Hasjim urged the government to immediately determine its sea
lanes so as to avoid such confusion in the future.
Debate over Indonesia's sovereignty and its territorial zones
surfaced after an incident involving the country's F-16 fighters
made contact with five U.S. F-18 Hornet jets on Thursday while
performing "strange maneuvers for more than two hours above
Bawean island in the Java Sea."
Both sides were close to firing on each other as the F-18
fighters went into attack mode and had their missiles locked on
Indonesia's planes.
The U.S. jet fighters were in the area escorting a U.S.
aircraft carrier, two frigates and a tanker. Speculation has been
rife that the planes were on their way to Iraq.
According to Sagom, the planes have left Indonesia's territory
and "it is not our business what their destination is."
"The U.S. stance has put us in a difficult position because it
shows that we are prone to various such intrusions. But the Air
Force has no authority to discuss the matter because we leave all
diplomatic issues to the Foreign Ministry and other related
institutions," Sagom told the Post.
The ministry was not available for comment when contacted by
the Post on Saturday.
In Surabaya, Minister of Defense Matori Abdul Djalil said that
Indonesia had not issued any official statement on the case
pending an investigation.
The incident occurred amid controversies over the government
decision to buy the Russian-made Sukhoi jet fighters for an
ailing Air Force suffering from the military embargo imposed by
the U.S. in 1999.
Indonesia purchased several U.S.-made F-16s and F-5s, but only
a few of them are currently operational due to a lack of spare
parts.
Separately, legislator Alvin Lie of the National Mandate Party
(PAN) proposed on Saturday that Indonesia sell all its F-16s and
replace them with the Sukhois because "we have problems with the
operation of F-16s amidst serious threats of (national)
disintegration."
Alvin was referring to the war against the Free Aceh Movement
(GAM) rebels in Aceh.
"The embargo imposed by the U.S. is hurting the Indonesian
people's hearts," Alvin said as quoted by Antara.