Things Leave Indonesia and Malaysia in Misunderstandings

Jakarta, Indonesia (News Today) - Unclear marine borders have often caused misunderstanding between Indonesia and Malaysia, former defense minister Juwono Sudarsono said. Another factor which often create problems in the two countries’ relations was Malaysian marine police’s overacting and misbehavior during patrols in border areas, he said here Friday.

"In the field, Malaysian marine police often misbehave and overact. They always show off their power as they know weak points," Juwono Sudarsono said.

Malaysia had violated Indonesian territory 14 times in 2009 and 10 times in 2010. He said when he was Indonesia’s defense minister he had reminded the then Malaysian defense minister M Najib about the problem. Juwono had asked Malaysia to refrain from provocative activity against patrolling Indonesian officers.

"I told Najib not to provoke us either in the Malacca Strait or in Ambalat. I asked him to keep Malaysian officers in the field in check," Juwono said.

"I emphasized to M Najib, if his government fails to control officers in the field, it could lead to open war. My officers could lose their head, too," he said.

"At the time he apologized and regretted the incidents that had happened," Juwono, who is also a former Indonesian ambassador to Britain, said.

And when a similar incident happened again, Juwono said, he asked the Malaysian government to investigate the source of the problem.

"The fact was, the instructions from Kuala Lumpur failed to reach field officers," said Juwono.

Indonesia has lodged no fewer than nine diplomatic protests over border violations by neighboring Malaysia since early this year, according to Foreign Affairs Minister Marty Natalegawa recently. The latest protest was about the incident that happened last August 13, when three Marine and Fisheries Ministry (DKP) officers based in Riau Islands Province were detained and taken to Malaysia by a Malaysian police boat crew.

The Malaysian officers had intercepted the Indonesian officers’ boat on their way to Batam Island while escorting a Malaysian fishing boat that had been caught poaching in Indonesian waters.

"The diplomatic notes are important in citing precedents in talks with Malaysia. They affirm our position as a sovereign country, our efforts in protecting the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI)," Minister Natalegawa said.

Source : kompas

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