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Jakarta. Lawmakers have lashed out at the government for its “unacceptable” deal to secure the release of three Indonesian maritime patrolmen detained by Malaysian forces, while the Foreign Ministry down played the incident, denying any deal had been made.

The furor was sparked after the maritime personnel were arrested on Friday night by a Malaysian patrol in Tanjung Barikat waters off Bintan in the Riau Islands.

Those arrests came quickly on the heels of Indonesian officers arresting seven Malaysian fishermen for fishing within Indonesian waters.

The Indonesian officials’ release was announced on Monday, but lawmakers claim that the Malaysian fishermen were also freed as part of the deal.

Lily Wahid, a member of the House of Representatives’ Commission I, overseeing foreign affairs, chastised the government for agreeing to the swap.

“This is a question of the nation’s dignity,” Lily, from the National Awakening Party (PKB), said on Wednesday.

“It’s outrageous that our legal officers were only freed in exchange for our freeing seven illegal fishermen,” she said.

The legislator added that the case highlighted Indonesia’s lack of diplomatic punch.

Lily also said Commission I would summon Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa and other officials to testify before the House on the matter.

Similarly, House Deputy Speaker Priyo Budi Santoso, from the Golkar Party, said his party was annoyed with the government’s tepid response to “Malaysia’s provocative actions” in border areas.

He said that while he appreciated the return of the Indonesian officers, the swap was “unacceptable for most Indonesians,” and called for a stronger approach to border disputes.

Priyo said the incident warranted more than just a “cool and calm approach,” because it encouraged other governments to continually “harass Indonesia’s national pride.”

“I call on our military chief and naval commanders overseeing our maritime borders with Malaysia to henceforth arrest any Malaysian ship illegally crossing into our territory,” he said.

Also on Wednesday, Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa announced that he had sent a diplomatic note to his Malaysian counterpart to protest the “territorial breach perpetrated by Malaysian officials” in illegally entering Indonesian territory and then detaining Indonesian patrol officers.

Marty added that the act was “a gross violation of Indonesia’s sovereignty.”

The Foreign Ministry claimed that the Malaysian patrol was actually inside Indonesian waters when it arrested the Indonesian officers.

He added that the geographical coordinates, clearly within Indonesia’s boundaries, were attached to the note.

“We regret the incident because it violates existing international laws,” Marty said. “Malaysia’s act was unjustifiable.”

The note was submitted on Wednesday morning through the Malaysian Embassy in Jakarta.

Marty also denied that the swap was a condition of the Indonesian officials’ release.

“The Malaysian government only asked about the seven fishermen, as part of its effort to ensure the protection of its detained citizens,” he said.

The fishermen were released by Riau Islands Police at a different time from the release of the Indonesian maritime officials, Marty added.

“The only agreement between the two governments was to solve the issue peacefully,” he said.

He also played down criticism that the ministry’s diplomatic note was not forceful enough a protest, pointing out that it was an important instrument especially in border disputes where there was no bilateral agreement to be used as a precedent.

“This will set a precedent for Indonesia’s claim to the territory,” Marty said, adding that it was important to consistently stake claims to disputed territory.

So far this year, the Foreign Ministry has sent eight similar diplomatic notes to Malaysia.

Meanwhile, dozens of protesters flocked to the Army headquarters in Central Jakarta on Wednesday to demand that more troops be deployed to the border area with Malaysia in Kalimantan, on Borneo.

Army spokesman Brig. Gen. Suwarno Widjonarko said that while the reaction was understandable, no moves would be made unless the government gave the go ahead.

“Only the government can rule on the use of force,” he said. “We won’t do anything until we get orders.”