Malaysia Summons Indonesia Envoy over Sea Dispute

Malaysia Summons Indonesia Envoy over Sea Dispute

By REUTERS, KUALA LUMPUR

From DefenceNews.

Malaysia has summoned Indonesia’s ambassador and sent a protest note after ships from the neighbors’ navies confronted each other in disputed waters, Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said April 14.

Malaysia would continue to patrol potentially oil-rich waters off Indonesia’s East Kalimantan province, despite Jakarta’s objections, Syed Hamid said, and added Indonesia already has protested the encounter.

“Indonesia’s note said it is their area and they disagreed with Malaysia’s presence there,” he told reporters. “We also sent a protest note after the incident.”

Indonesia’s navy said the ships “brushed” when the Indonesian vessel tried to drive the Malaysian ship away from its territorial waters last week. Some newspapers reported the vessels had collided three times but that no one had been hurt.

Following the incident, the leaders of both nations spoke by telephone to try to ease tensions between the two oil-producing states.

Jakarta sent warships and fighter jets to the area last month after the dispute flared. Both countries have since agreed to resolve matters peacefully.

The disputed waters lie close to the islands of Sipadan and Ligitan, which Indonesia lost to Malaysia in a legal battle in the International Court of Justice in December 2002.

The neighbors rely heavily on oil and gas for revenues and each has awarded exploration contracts in the disputed area. Last year, Indonesia awarded one to U.S.-based oil firm Unocal Corp. Malaysia recently granted exploration rights to Anglo-Dutch oil firm Royal Dutch/Shell.

Exploration work has yet to begin.

Syed Hamid said the Malaysian navy required no permission to enter the area as “it is within our maritime border”.

“Both (countries) have different opinions. We will continue patrolling the area that we consider is ours,” he said. “We have not taken any action that is considered as provocative or aggressive because it is in our area.”

Naval chiefs of both countries will meet in Indonesia’s Batam island near Singapore later this week to try to resolve the disagreement.