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Indonesia and Malaysia Defuse Border Tensions
July 01, 2009

Malaysian Defense Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, left, met with his Indonesian counterpart, Juwono Sudarsono, to defuse friction over the Ambalat waters. (Photo: Yudhi Sukma Wijaya, JG) Malaysian Defense Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, left, met with his Indonesian counterpart, Juwono Sudarsono, to defuse friction over the Ambalat waters. (Photo: Yudhi Sukma Wijaya, JG)
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Indonesia and Malaysia agreed on Tuesday to ease military tensions over disputed oil-rich waters off northeastern Borneo Island during talks between the two countries’ defense ministers in Jakarta.

Indonesian Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono and his Malaysian counterpart, Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, met in a bid to defuse friction over recent military maneuvers in the sensitive Ambalat area of the Sulawesi Sea amid concerns the posturing could lead to clashes.

“Mobilized troops have to be measured in their actions, particularly around those areas, so there is no perception of violations,” Juwono told reporters after the meeting.

“We agreed that each country’s sea patrols have to be extra cautious in determining patrol pathways, in accordance with the line that each regards as its own territory.”

Jakarta has repeatedly complained that Malaysian warships have violated Indonesian territory around Ambalat, accusations Kuala Lumpur denies. The issue has stirred strong nationalist sentiment in Indonesia and fed campaign rhetoric ahead of next week’s presidential election.

Vice President Jusuf Kalla has frequently raised the Ambalat dispute on the campaign trail, saying in a recent speech in East Kalimantan that the country must defend the Ambalat waters “by whatever means we have, dialogue or even war.”

International borders in the area off Borneo have yet to be clearly determined, leading to overlapping claims.

Malaysia’s assertions are based on a 1979 maritime chart, while Indonesia uses the 1982 UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, which states that the area belongs to Jakarta.

“It’s about the perception of who started it, provoked or violated. But actually that issue has to be avoided,” Malaysia’s Ahmad said.

“I have told our officials and soldiers that, in whatever situation, we have to be cautious so we are not regarded as careless.”



Agence France-Presse