PM Goh starts his working visit to Jakarta
PM Goh starts his working visit to Jakarta
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
Singapore Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong is slated to arrive here
today (Monday) for his two-day working visit to discuss and
settle many impending issues between the two countries.
Goh will meet President Megawati Soekarnoputri at the Bogor
Presidential Palace in West Java.
His visit, the first since Megawati took office in July last
year, is being made by invitation of the Indonesian president.
"The visit is to give support to President Megawati's
government in overcoming the grave security and economic problems
in the aftermath of the bomb blasts," said the Singapore prime
minister's office in a statement made available to The Jakarta
Post on Sunday.
Goh will be the first head of state who will meet with
Megawati in Jakarta after bomb attacks rocked the resort island
of Bali on Oct. 12, claiming the lives of more than 190 people,
mostly foreigners. Australian Prime Minister John Howard flew to
Bali a few days after the blast for an informal visit, but did
not see Megawati.
The statement from Goh's office underlined that the prime
minister would also discuss basic measures with Megawati for
fighting the terrorist threat in Southeast Asia.
Singapore, despite the fact that the country was once an
operation center of the Jamaah Islamiyah terrorist network, has
yet to sign any anti-terrorism pacts with other countries in the
region.
So far, there have been no signs from the city-state
indicating an interest in joining the pact already signed by
Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Cambodia that allows a joint
intelligence operation.
Earlier, an official at the Indonesian foreign ministry told
The Post that the two leaders would also discuss various
impending problems between the two countries.
"Issues such as extradition treaty, sand excavation and
illegal logging, will also be discussed along with the terrorism
issue," the official said.
Singapore, used by a number of corrupt Indonesians as a safe
haven, has continued to turn down Indonesia's request for an
extradition treaty.
Some Indonesian officials have also accused Singapore of
condoning or even facilitating the smuggling of various
Indonesian commodities, including fuel and logs.
The two countries have been going through a rocky period since
the downfall of former Indonesian president Soeharto in 1998,
when Indonesia moved from authoritarian rule to democracy.
There has been a heated exchange of words between the
countries' top officials, involving no less than Singapore senior
minister Lee Kuan Yew and former Indonesian presidents B.J.
Habibie and Abdurrahman Wahid.