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RI, S'pore extradition deal unclear after leaders meet
Leaders of Indonesia and Singapore, the two leading economies in Southeast Asia, have focused on increasing economic cooperation and boosting growth, but seemingly sidelined crucial talks about an agreement on extradition when they met recently
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eaders of Indonesia and Singapore, the two leading economies in Southeast Asia, have focused on increasing economic cooperation and boosting growth, but seemingly sidelined crucial talks about an agreement on extradition when they met recently.
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong met this week in Singapore in an informal retreat planned late last year to discuss ways to boost investment and strengthen ties.
Although the plan had been for the agenda to discuss all pressing bilateral issues, an anticipated agreement on extradition sought by Jakarta to bring home corrupt fugitives seeking asylum in Singapore was left out of the talks, Antara news agency reported.
Such an agreement could bring home billions of US dollars lost to graft when Indonesian corruption fugitives fled to Singapore after the 1997 regional financial meltdown.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said Thursday the main focus of the discussion was economic issues, but he could not confirm whether the leaders had touched on the extradition agreement.
In 2007, an agreement on defense was signed by the two governments but later annulled by Indonesian lawmakers who rejected a term that allowed Singapore's armed forces to conduct exercises on Indonesian soil in return for Indonesia being allowed to force the return of Indonesian criminals in Singapore.
Kemal Azis Stamboel, chairman of House of Representatives' Commission I overseeing defense and foreign affairs, said the current commission (2009-2014) shared the same position on the agreement as their predecessors.
He said any extradition deal made with Singapore must be reciprocal, where both countries would be allowed to extradite criminal suspects - and that such an agreement should not have to be brokered with an offer to allow a foreign military access to Indonesian territory.
The extradition agreement has become a priority for Jakarta because Singapore has been used as a safe haven for Indonesian corrupt fugitives to escape to with their illegal assets.
A failure to agree to such a deal could strain relations with close neighbor, especially given that China agreed to an extradition agreement in 2009 and negotiations for the implementation of a similar deal with Australia are ongoing.
Reports have shown there is more money derived from corruption in Indonesia in Singapore than in Australia or China.
Some sources say that Singapore would only agree to a reciprocal agreement on extradition that excluded cases from the time of the 1998 financial crisis because it involved a huge amount of money and extracting it all could upset financial markets in Singapore.
During Monday's talks on bilateral economic cooperation, both leaders agreed to increase investment and trade cooperation by working to fulfill the potential of Indonesia's free trade zones of Batam, Bintan, and Karimun.
Singapore is Indonesia's fourth-largest trading partner. Bilateral trade stood at US$25 billion in 2009 and Singapore's investment in Indonesia was $4.5 billion in the same year.
