Susilo tells TNI to secure disputed area

Rendi A. Witular, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono ordered the Indonesian Military (TNI) on Thursday to secure disputed territory just east of Borneo island that is claimed by both Malaysia and Indonesia.

The move followed a decision by Malaysia to grant an oil concession block in the area to a Dutch company.

TNI Commander Gen. Endriartono Sutarto said after a meeting with the President that Susilo had ordered the military and related ministries to seek an amicable resolution to the dispute.

"The President told us to end the dispute peacefully, but he also underscored the need to protect our sovereignty," he said at the State Palace.

Indonesia has lodged a protest over Malaysian state oil company Petronas' decision to award two blocks in the Ambalat area to Anglo-Dutch oil giant Royal Dutch Shell on Feb. 16.

Malaysia claims the area is part of its territory, but Indonesia says the Malaysian claim is based on a map from 1979 that is not recognized by the Indonesian government or by most other Southeast Asian countries.

Indonesia backed its claim to the area with the construction of a lighthouse on the disputed territory.

"Aside from the lighthouse, we also base our claim on the international law stipulating that Malaysia is not an archipelagic country. That means Malaysia does not have a 12-mile extended area from its coastline," Endriartono said.

Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar was quoted by Reuters as saying, "Malaysia will not do anything beyond what we consider as our rightful maritime area in line with the law of the sea. To me, there's no need to send ships."

"Our bilateral ties are close and good. There's nothing to stop us from sitting down and talking to solve any problems."

Indonesia has deployed three Navy warships to the Sulawesi Sea off the east coast of Borneo island, and a fourth is en route to the area.

Endriartono said Indonesia hoped to avoid an open confrontation with the Malaysian military with the deployment of the "patrolling warships".

"The deployment of the warships is part of our job to secure our territory," he said.

Indonesia and Malaysia do not have an official agreement regulating communications between their armed forces when they encounter each other in disputed territory, and some observers fear this increases the risk of clashes.

"I have asked the Malaysian defense minister and its military commander for intense contact when patrolling a disputed territory in order to avoid confrontation. They should have applied this by now," said Endriartono.

But Malaysia's military chief, Gen. Zahidi Zainuddin, said the Malaysian navy would continue to patrol the country's waters to protect its petroleum industry.

"It is our duty to ensure the safety and security of the oil exploration work being carried out by Petronas," the official Bernama news agency quoted him as saying.

"But as far as possible, we will not create a situation that can trigger clashes or shoot-outs," he said.