US Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo affirmed on July 13 that the People’s Republic of China (PRC)’s claims to offshore resources across most of the South China Sea (called the East Sea in Vietnam) are completely unlawful, as is its campaign of bullying to control them.
Indonesia has done a good job of bringing home its citizens from China’s Hubei province, the epicenter of the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak, the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on February 15.
Indonesia plans to buy bigger vessels to allow its coast guards to travel across the ocean, notably the Natuna Sea off Riau Islands, and expand their patrol reach, local media reported.
Indonesian naval ships found many Chinese coast guard and fishing vessels remain in Indonesia’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) near Natuna waters on January 11, four days after President Joko Widodo’s visit to Natuna district in Riau Islands province.
Indonesia’s territory and sovereignty cannot be bargained for by anyone at any given time, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said on January 8.
Indonesia is to send around 120 fishermen from the island of Java to the Natuna islands in the Riau Islands Province, said Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Mohammad Mahfud on January 6.
Ministries and agencies of the Indonesian Government have continually held meetings over the last few days following China’s entry into the Southeast Asian country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ).
Indonesia has dismissed China’s invitation to sit down for a dialogue to “manage disputes” over Indonesia’s exclusive economic zones (EEZ) in the North Natuna Sea, arguing that there are no overlapping claims there.
The Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysical Agency (BMKG) of Indonesia has warned of potential natural disasters such as floods, landslides and whirlwinds as the Southeast Asian country is entering the peak of the rainy season.
First Admiral Yudo Margono officially took over as head of Indonesia’s Western Fleet Command in a ceremony held at Pondok Dayung military port of Indonesia’s Jakarta on March 15.
Representatives of the Vietnamese Embassy in Indonesia have visited Vietnamese fishermen who have been temporarily detained on the country’s islands for illegal fishing.
The Vietnamese Embassy in Indonesia on November 15 sent a consular official to the court of Ranai in Indonesia’s Natuna islands, a day before a hearing for five Vietnamese captains who were arrested by Indonesian authorities at sea, to discuss the case with Indonesian prosecutors and lawyers.
Thailand’s PTT Exploration and Production announced it will stop its investments in Indonesia after being filed for a two-billion-USD compensation by the Indonesian Government over the oil spill in 2009.
The Indonesian government plans to increase foreign flights to Soeharno-Hatta International Airport in the capital city Jakarta by 40 percent by the end of the year after the airport opened a new terminal on May 1.
Indonesian President Joko Widodo will discuss the prospect of joint patrols with Australia in the East Sea when he meets Autralian Prime Minister Malcom Turnbull at the weekend.
Indonesia’s defence budget in 2017 is likely to be much lower than proposed by the government despite plans to establish military bases in Natuna, Riau Islands.
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