The US aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson was reported to have sailed near the Natuna Block in Indonesia\'s exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
By
kompas team
·5 minutes read
JAKARTA, KOMPAS — Indonesia has expressed concern about the decision of Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom to form a military alliance in the region. Such a concern arises mainly because the alliance, called AUKUS, presents a new nuclear power. One of AUKUS’ aims is to help Australia acquire at least eight nuclear-powered submarines.
Australia will be the only country without nuclear weapons to possess a nuclear-powered submarine. In Asia, only India and China have nuclear submarines and nuclear weapons. Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison claimed that Canberra would not pursue nuclear weapons possession.
A number of Australian media reported that Australian Defense Minister Peter Dutton had admitted to calling Indonesian Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto last Wednesday. Dutton informed Prabowo in the call about the establishment of AUKUS. Meanwhile, Morrison acknowledged calling President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong last Thursday. Morrison also claimed to have informed India and Japan regarding the establishment of AUKUS. Japan, India, the US and Australia have formed a non-military alliance, the Quad.
“Indonesia is watching carefully the Australian government\'s decision to acquire nuclear-powered submarines. Indonesia is very concerned about the growing arms race and the projection of military power in the region," the Indonesian Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday (17/9/2021).
Jakarta has warned Canberra about the obligation to control nuclear weapons. Australia has also been encouraged to fulfill its obligation to maintain regional peace, stability and security. Indonesia has reminded all parties to respect international law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Meanwhile, in a statement issued by the Singapore Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Prime Minister Lee said he hoped AUKUS would contribute to regional security and stability.
US aircraft carrier
Before AUKUS was formed, the issue of security and stability in the region, including the issue of the South China Sea, had become a concern. US warships, including nuclear-powered ships capable of carrying cruise missiles, sailed back and forth in the waters of Southeast Asia. The US aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson was reported to have sailed near the Natuna Block in Indonesia\'s exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
Like US ships, Chinese ships have also sailed near or within Indonesia\'s EEZ in North Natuna. The director of the law enforcement support and access to justice at the Indonesia Ocean Justice Initiative (IOJI), Fadilla Octaviani, said on Friday that the automatic identification system (AIS) data and satellite images showed that the Chinese survey ship, Haiyang Dizhi-10, had entered Indonesia\'s continental shelf several times that year since 31 Aug. 2021. "Judging from its trajectory, we suspected the ship was conducting underwater research," said Fadilla when contacted from Batam.
China was also reported to have sent the Kunming-172 destroyer into the waters of the South China Sea.
Not only the US and China, the UK also sent HMS Queen Elizabeth II to cross the Malacca Strait to Japan last August. Germany and France also sent a number of warships to Southeast Asian waters. Some of the reasons for sending ships, among others, were to ensure freedom of navigation and to show their presence in the Indo-Pacific.
A lecturer from the School of Law at the University of Indonesia (UI), Arie Afriansyah, said that international law allowed foreign ships to pass through a country\'s EEZ on the condition the ships do not carry out activities that are detrimental to the EEZ claimant or sovereign state in the waters.
Escalation
For Indonesia, the increase in the presence of military forces needs to be observed. Hikmahanto Juwana, a professor of international law, said he suspected the presence of the warships, especially those of China, would last for a long time. Specifically for China, the presence of its ships was a form of affirmation of its claims in the South China Sea, he added.
According to him, in the midst of regional contestations, the Indonesian government needed to ensure the safety of fishermen in the North Natuna Sea. "Ideally, Bakamla is present to give our fishermen a sense of security," said Hikmahanto.
Meanwhile, a lecturer from the international relations department of the School of Social and Political Sciences (FISIP) from UI, Muhamad Arif, said that China\'s presence occurred during the increasing activities of the US Navy and its allies in the South China Sea. "In general, there are escalations that Indonesia needs to anticipate," he explained.
In response to these two issues, the head of the Maritime Security Agency (Bakamla) Aan Kurnia, acknowledged the limitations of the institution to carry out a monitoring job 24 hours, seven days a week in Indonesian seas. He agreed with the statement of the Natuna fisherman that when the fishermen crossed paths with Chinese warships, they saw no Bakamla ships or the Indonesian Navy around.
According to him, to anticipate escalation, state symbols must be present. However, in order to maintain sovereign rights, using only state symbols and diplomacy is not enough. There should be real economic activities.
Three Indonesian Navy ships and one Indonesian Navy aircraft, which carry out daily patrols in the waters of North Natuna did not report the matter.
When contacted separately, the chief of Naval Staff Admiral Yudo Margono confirmed that no Chinese warships had entered the North Natuna Sea, Riau Islands. Yudo said that the information on the presence of the Chinese ships in Natuna was not reliable. Three Indonesian Navy ships and one Indonesian Navy aircraft, which carry out daily patrols in the waters of North Natuna did not report the matter.
“If it really happened in Natuna, I wouldn\'t be here. I would have been in an office in Natuna. So, there were no Chinese ships," Yudo said when he was asked at the Banjarmasin Navy Base Medical Center, South Kalimantan on Friday. (AFP/REUTERS/RAZ/ JUM/NDU/EDN)
(This article was translated byHendarsyah Tarmizi)