MALAYSIA CLAIMS AMBALAT FOR ITS OIL RESERVES

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, June 7 (ANTARA) - When tension heightened between Indonesia and Malaysia over the Ambalat Block back in 2005, Kuala Lumpur offered a joint cultivation of the area and divide the proceeds.

        For Indonesia, however, the Ambalat issue is a matter of sovereignty so that no meeting point has been achieved so far. Malaysia puts Ambalat more in the economic perspective, while Jakarta more on sovereignty.

        Malaysian Defense Minister Sri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said the dispute on Ambalat was not a border dispute but an economic one. It is believed to hold large oil reserves. Near the Ambalat border, the Aster field is believed to have the potential to produce 30 thousand to 40 thousand barrels of oil per day.

        "This is the real problem. If it is only a matter of borderline, possibly it has been solved long ago. But there is economic potential so that we have to be serious and careful," Hamidi said as quoted by Indonesian legislator Effendi Choirie who met him in Putrajaya Saturday.

        But for Indonesia, sovereignty is important. That's why Indonesian leaders are firm in maintaining the country's claim over the block area which covers about 15,235 sq km in the Sulawesi Sea.

        "Talking about Ambalat means that we are talking about the sovereignty of the Republic of Indonesia. We have to support the efforts of the incumbent president," Prabowo Subianto, a vice presidential candidate for the upcoming presidential elections, said.

        He said that there should be no difference of opinions among the people with regard to the country's sovereignty.

        The same voice was also aired by the Indonesian military. The Ambalat Block is part of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI) based on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas (UNCLOS), the Indonesian Military (TNI) said.

        "Whoever enters the area (without permission) violates the sovereignty of the Republic of Indonesia," TNI Headquarters spokesman Commodore Sagom Tamboen said.

        He said the TNI had never stated that the Ambalat Block was an area in a disputed status. "The Ambalat Block is part of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia based on the international law of the seas," he said.

        Therefore, the Indonesian military would continue to carry out safeguarding operations in the area, which Malaysia claims based on a 1979 maritime map.

        In spite of increasing tensions in the border area, both sides are still able to take the situation under control. According to Chief Political and Security Minister Widodo Adi Sucipto, the security situation in the Ambalat Block remain under control.

        "I think it is now under control," the minister said.

        However, Widodo did not explain in detail the latest situation in Ambalat after several violations by Malaysian navy ships which often trespassed the Indonesian territorial waters in East Kalimantan in the past several days.

        Legislators from the House Commission I for foreign affairs who flew to Malaysia on Monday for a meeting with their Malaysian counterparts, also have in mind that Ambalat belonged to Indonesia.

        The House of Representatives (DPR) and the government share the view that the Ambalat Block belongs to Indonesia so that there must be no compromise with regard to Indonesia's ownership of the oil rich area in Sulawesi Sea, Deputy Chairman of House Commission I for foreign affairs Yusron Ihaza Mahendra said.

        "The government also gives full support to the efforts made by House Commission I to have meetings with its Malaysian counterparts and other high officials in Malaysia," Yusron Ihza Mahendra said on Sunday.

        "The president, on behalf of the government, expressed full support to the steps taken by the delegation of House Commission I to visit Malaysia to discuss the Ambalat issue," the legislator said.

        The Commission I attended a joint meeting with the president and the ministers in charge of politics, legal and security affairs. In the meeting, the president reaffirmed the government's firm stance that there would be no compromise on matters relating to the country's sovereignty.

        The president also hoped that Malaysia would stop its provocations which could fuel further tensions. Therefore, the Indonesian government called on Malaysia to respect the ongoing process of negotiations.

        "At a time when negotiations are still underway, we hope that all parties can respect the ongoing talks," Political, Legal and Security Affairs Coordinating Minister Widodo AS said.

        However, the rising tensions between the two sides were not expected to end up in wars.

        "We will not go to war against Indonesia. After all, the uniforms of the Malaysian Army are produced by Sritex of Indonesia. How could we be at wars?," Malaysian Defense Minister Sri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi said.

        The Malaysian defense minister made the statement spontaneously at a meeting with House Commission I member Effendi Choirie.

        Choirie, who met the Malaysian defense minister with his friends Ali Mochtar Ngabalin (a Commission I member) and Ade Daud Nasution (a former member of the House Commission), delivered two important messages to the Malaysian government.

        He said that he and friends delivered a protest against the provocations of the Malaysian patrol boats in Indonesia's water territories in Ambalat Block. Besides, he also specifically asked the Malaysian defense minister to use his influence as a defense minister to help speed up the settlement process of the conflict in Ambalat.

        "As the third most important person in Malaysia, we asked him to help foster friendship, so that all problems could be solved as soon as possible," Choirie said.

        The defense minister even happened to make a joke saying that how could Malaysia go to war against Indonesia if its (military) uniforms were produced by Sritex, referring to Indonesia's textile firm which among others produces military uniforms.***5*** (T.A014/A/H-NG/B003). (T.A014/A/A014/B003) 07-06-2009 23:06:24

AMBALAT HEATING UP WHILE TALKS STILL ON HOLD

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, June 2 (ANTARA) - With tensions over a near-standoff in the disputed Ambalat block on the border between Indonesia and Malaysia in the Sulawesi Sea still high, and negotiations to solve the border dispute at a halt, analysts have advised Jakarta not to be misled by Malaysia's provocative acts.         "It is vitally important for Jakarta to adopt a cautious attitude in seeking a diplomatic solution which is good for Indonesia and Malaysia," executive director of the Indonesian Institute of Strategic Studies, Begi Hersutanto, said here on Tuesday.         According to reports, until Tuesday morning (June 2), the atmosphere in Ambalat was still heating up following a number of border violations by Malaysian Navy (TDLM) warships.         Commandant of Indonesian warship "KRI Untung Suropati", Major Salim, said on Tuesday the tense situation in the Ambalat area remained unchanged and the naval units there were still on full alert. Malaysian warships had often trespassed Indonesian waters. Local fishermen were often arrested and their fish catches seized by Malaysian authorities.         "We will continue to increase and maintain alertness in Ambalat. Local fishermen have often been arrested for allegedly violating Malaysian territorial waters," he said. There should be no maneuvers by both sides in the area which is still a subject of dispute between the two countries.         "Therefore, the Indonesian navy would continue to guard Ambalat which we believe is part of the Unitary State of Indonesia," he said.         Indonesia's KRI Untung Surapati-872 warship on Sunday managed to drive away a Malaysian warship, the KD Yu-3500, which had tried to trespass Indonesian waters in the Ambalat Block.         A day earlier, the Indonesian Navy's KRI Hasanudin-366 also drove away KD Baung-3509, a helicopter of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, and a Malaysian Beachcraft which tried to enter the Ambalat Block.         According to the TNI, nine territorial violations by Malaysian marine and police vessels had happened in the recent past. Based on data obtained from House Commission I for defense affairs, Malaysia has made 11 border violations over Indonesia's territory since January.         On May 27, 2009, four Indonesian fishermen were arrested, beaten up and had their fish catches seized by the Malaysian navies. "What they should have done, if they suspected the fishermen, was to take them to their posts and if the fishermen were proven guilty they should take them to court," an Indonesian naval officer said in Tarakan, East Kalimantan meanwhile.         A researcher suggested that Indonesia should apply a shock-therapy in the face of the maneuvers of the neighboring country which is once again doing provocative acts in the Ambalat Block.         Director of the Nation Institute Research Viktus Murin said the shock-therapy could be taken in the form of the summons of the Malaysian ambassador to Indonesia for a briefing on the Malaysian Navy's violations in the border areas.         If need be, the Indonesian Foreign Ministry should issue a warning and threaten to expel the Malaysian ambassador to Indonesia.         The second shock-therapy, namely the threat to expel the Malaysian ambassador, will certainly be supported by the Indonesian people who loved the sovereignty of their country, he said.         "It has to be realized that the Malaysian provocative actions indicated that Malaysia is not a good neighbor. Therefore, Indonesia should take a firm action. We should not let ourselves be made an object of game," Viktus Murin said.         Murin said that indeed Indonesia had a very dynamic history with Malaysia. "It has been a normal thing for them to take advantage of every loophole from us for their benefit. That was why Bung Karno (Soekarno, Indonesia's first president) made a call on the Indonesian people to attack Malaysia in an effort to ward off the infiltration of henchmen of the 'Nekolim' (neocolonialism, colonialism and imperialism) in the country," he said.         On the legal avenue that the Indonesian government should take, Viktus Murin said that he supported the statement made by National Defense Institute (Lemhanas) Governor Muladi who suggested that Indonesia formed a strong team of lawyers to face Malaysia over the Ambalat issue if Malaysia took the conflict to the International Court of Justice.         However, Begi Hersutanto said that Indonesia should take a very careful attitude in the face of the Malaysian maneuvers. He suggested in the present condition Indonesia should not hold political dialog with the Malaysian legislative body to solve the problem.         "If there is an initiative to hold a legislative dialog from Malaysia, the Indonesian legislative side should well give it to the government (the executive) to find solution to the problem," Hersutanto said.         In the meantime, the Indonesian government is still waiting for confirmation from Malaysia about the continuation of negotiations on the two countries' borders.         Teuku Faizasyah said that Indonesia had insisted on continuing the negotiations with Malaysia when their teams met for the last time in July 2008.         "Both sides have to talk a lot of things in relation with Ambalat. Therefore Indonesia at the July meeting asked Malaysia to continue the talks," Faizasyah said. Malaysia has not yet given any confirmation because the neighboring country was still consolidating its negotiating team.         "We have no idea when they will finish consolidating their team of negotiators and are ready to meet us at the negotiation table," the foreign ministry spokesman said.         What is obvious is that the Indonesian government had asked for another confirmation from Malaysia over the continuation of the talks.         He said the Indonesian-Malaysian teams of negotiators on the Ambalat dispute had met 13 times since 2005 but both sides had not met any point of agreement for the settlement of their overlapping claims to the oil- and gas-rich maritime region.***4*** (T.A014/A/HAJM/17:40/a014) (T.A014/A/A014/A/A014) 02-06-2009 17:55:23