TheJakartaPost
Please Update your browser
Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.
Prabowo to deploy more ships to protect Natuna
Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto will deploy more ships to protect the Natuna waters near Indonesia’s northern maritime border by relocating existing vessels operating in other locations to the area and purchasing an ocean-going vessel (OGV) from Denmark
Change Size
D
span>Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto will deploy more ships to protect the Natuna waters near Indonesia’s northern maritime border by relocating existing vessels operating in other locations to the area and purchasing an ocean-going vessel (OGV) from Denmark.
The plans have been made due to reports of illegal fishing by foreign ships at Natuna’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ). Recently, Indonesia filed a protest against Beijing for alleged territorial violations by a Chinese coastguard vessel around Natuna.
Prabowo presented both plans during a closed-door meeting with the House of Representatives Commission I overseeing defense on Monday, a member of the commission confirmed.
“Yes, we discussed those [issues]. The OGV will be used for Indonesian Navy or Maritime Security Agency [Bakamla] missions. It will be included in the ministry’s modernization plan,” lawmaker Dave Laksono of the Golkar Party said.
Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Pandjaitan previously mentioned that the minister was planning to purchase new vessels from Denmark, citing the need to prevent future encroachment into the Natuna waters.
Both Dave and Luhut said they did not know how many new vessels the government would buy.
However, Luhut said that the purchase would be made after the government finished an omnibus law on the Bakamla, which — if realized — would settle overlapping roles in domestic maritime security and strengthen the agency.
Prabowo, however, did not elaborate much about the new purchase. “A country’s sovereignty must be defended and defense needs investment. We cannot have a strong defense system without it,” he said.
The former general said his office would communicate with the Finance Ministry for the purchase.
According to Dave, Prabowo would be expected to calculate how many vessels were needed in Natuna, including new ones. The minister also had to ensure availability in the budget, he said, considering it might be a new purchase for 2020.
Previously Prabowo said that the 2020 defense budget, totaling Rp 131 trillion (US$9.6 billion), would not be enough for primary weaponry defense system (alutsista) purchases.
Besides buying Danish vessels, the government is planning to build four vessels to strengthen patrols in border areas, especially the North Natuna Sea, Deputy Defense Minister Wahyu Sakti Trenggono said.
Of the four ships that will be built domestically, two will be the frigate-type vessels and the others will be offshore patrol vessels.
In addition to sending more ships to Natuna, Dave said, the House had suggested the government optimize diplomatic approaches to preventing conflicts by approaching neighboring countries in Southeast Asia.
“We communicate with them, but we should also be prepared for any situation [...] To be peaceful, we must be prepared for war.”
Speaking at a seminar on Monday, Susi Pudjiastuti, the maritime affairs and fisheries minister during President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s first term, said there should not be too much “drama” in resolving the problem of illegal fishing in Natuna.
She said that the government only needed consistent law enforcement under the Fisheries Law, which stipulates that the ministry has the authority to burn or sink illegal fishing vessels.
“All we need is a regular patrol [...] There are people violating the law, and we don’t need drama anymore,” Susi said.
Susi further said that adding more military vessels to Natuna was unnecessary if the country was consistent with law enforcement.
“[Security] patrols should be routine, a day-to-day operation. Punish those who violate the law, consistently without any compromise.”
For example, Susi mentioned her iconic “drowning method” to discourage foreign illegal fishing vessels from entering Indonesian waters, saying it was the most effective way to be consistent and persistent in combating illegal fishing.
“I didn’t enjoy sinking boats. But I must say this is the most effective way to create a deterrent effect.”
Susi added that local fishermen could play a big role in guarding the sea. She suggested the establishment of an integrated maritime affairs and fisheries center (SKPT) on the outer islands of Indonesia
“It is way more strategic [than the defense approach]. [SKPT] could be the forerunner of defense. It was fishermen who first found out about the violation against our exclusive economic zone,” she said. (trn)
