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.