Jakarta, KL again agree to ease tension
Jakarta, KL again agree to ease tension
Agencies, Jakarta/Kuala Lumpur
Indonesia said on Wednesday it had made a fresh protest to neighboring Malaysia after ships from their navies confronted each other in potentially oil-rich waters claimed by both countries.
Foreign Minister Hassan Wirayuda said Indonesia's navy chief would meet with his Malaysian counterpart on Batam island near Singapore this week in a bid to ease tensions.
"We conveyed the protest yesterday. We stated our stance in this case and, in one (or) two days, the two navy chiefs will meet on Batam island to ease tensions in the field," he told a news conference.
The incident involving two ships off Indonesia's East Kalimantan province, part of Borneo island, on Friday heightened tensions between the two oil producing nations.
Indonesia's navy has said the ships "brushed" when the Indonesian vessel tried to drive away the Malaysian vessel. Local newspapers reported the vessels had collided three times but that no one had been hurt.
Jakarta sent warships and fighter jets to the area last month after the dispute flared. Both countries have since agreed to resolve matters peacefully.
Meanwhile, Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said on Wednesday Malaysia has a "strong case" for sovereignty over an oil-rich maritime area also claimed by neighboring Indonesia.
Malaysian warships, which have recently come into close contact with Indonesian navy vessels, would remain in the area east of Borneo island to protect the territory, he told a news conference.
"They (Malaysian warships) have not left the area. We also think we have a strong case," Abdullah said.
Deputy Prime Minister Najib Razak said Malaysia regarded the territory as its own and hence had the right to have a naval presence in the area.
"That area is regarded as our territory. We have the right to be there whenever we want," he said.
The two countries have locked horns over the region before. A dispute over the ownership of two islands ended in December 2002 with an International Court of Justice ruling the islands belong to Malaysia.
Indonesia launched an anti-Malaysia campaign over the future of Borneo island in 1963 after the British relinquished control. The row ended three years later as Jakarta focused on internal problems.