ID :
174416
Mon, 04/11/2011 - 05:56
Auther :
Shortlink :
https://oananews.org//node/174416
The shortlink copeid
MARITIME BORDER DISPUTE MAY BE REFERRED TO A THIRD PARTY - MALAYSIAN FM
By Ahmad Fuad Yahya
JAKARTA, April 11 (Bernama) -- Foreign Minister Anifah Aman said on
Sunday the border dispute between Malaysia and Indonesia may need to be referred
to a third party or an international arbitration if ongoing talks to resolve the
matter remain deadlocked.
He said the technical committee had met 18 times over the past seven years
but had not been able to move ahead as both sides were adamant on keeping to
their stands.
"If we can't solve its technical aspects, then we can't solve its political
aspects and we want to avoid untoward incidents. So there may be a need for us
to refer this to a third party for solution.
"At the moment though, it has not reached to that stage. InsyaAllah (God
Willing), we will try our best to find ways to solve this problem," he told
Malaysian journalists
here.
Anifah, who is here to attend the Asean-Japan special meeting Saturday, said
Malaysia and Indonesia had been trying to avoid referring the matter to a third
party, believing that they would be able to solve it based on the neighbourly
spirit and the long-standing friendly relations.
Anifah said it was important for the problem to be resolved not only to
provide
certainty over the two countries' sovereign territories but also to the people
of both countries especially fishermen so that they no longer face difficulties
when fishing at sea near the borders.
Both sides have been accusing fishermen of encroachment, resulting in
arrests
and detentions.
Anifah said at the moment a group of Malaysian fishermen was being held by
Indonesian authorities since March 8, allegedly for encroaching into the
neighbour's territory in Riau, causing concerns among their family members in
Malaysia.
"Although the Malaysian consulate-general has visited them, it has already
been
a month now and I believe that we should get the cooperation of Indonesia to get
them released.
"If Indonesia takes legal action against them, we should check what really
happened," he said.
He said in that incident, the Malaysian authorities reported that the
Indonesian enforcement's boat had encroached into the Malaysian water.
"I don't want to say who is right or who is wrong. Indonesia will say they
are
right and I have confidence in what our authorities have reported, but what is
important is the manner in which we deal with this.
"This is what complicate matters and I have brought this issue to the
Indonesian Foreign Minister, Dr Marty Natalegawa, on the sidelines of the
meeting yesterday that if we continue to delve into who is right and who is
wrong, then we won't be able to come up with a solution," he said.
The victims, he said, would be the fishermen of both countries who had to
continue making a living from the sea. "We should help them, but instead of
doing that, were have become the ones who make their life difficult."
At their meeting, Anifah said he conveyed to Dr Marty that he was saddened
by
the incident and thanked him for giving attention to the matter.
On the detention of two Malaysian boats off Hutan Melintang, Perak, two days
ago, he said, video recording showed that the boat, belonging to the Indonesian
fisheries enforcement agency, had encroached into the Malaysian water and that
they had towed the Malaysian boats into their territory.
When the Malaysian authority requested that they cease doing what they were
doing, they provoked the Malaysian side instead, he said.
"I've conveyed this to the Indonesian Foreign Minister so that this problem
can be resolved, or else, I'm worried that the Malaysian side would also do the
same in a tit-for-tat move," he said.
He also hoped that enforcement officers of both sides would be able to
translate the consensus reached by both countries in dealing with fishermen who
were fishing in disputed areas.
"At the top officers' level they understand the problem but sometimes those
at the field become overzealous when carrying out enforcements and try to show
their power. This is challenge faced by our leaders," he said.
JAKARTA, April 11 (Bernama) -- Foreign Minister Anifah Aman said on
Sunday the border dispute between Malaysia and Indonesia may need to be referred
to a third party or an international arbitration if ongoing talks to resolve the
matter remain deadlocked.
He said the technical committee had met 18 times over the past seven years
but had not been able to move ahead as both sides were adamant on keeping to
their stands.
"If we can't solve its technical aspects, then we can't solve its political
aspects and we want to avoid untoward incidents. So there may be a need for us
to refer this to a third party for solution.
"At the moment though, it has not reached to that stage. InsyaAllah (God
Willing), we will try our best to find ways to solve this problem," he told
Malaysian journalists
here.
Anifah, who is here to attend the Asean-Japan special meeting Saturday, said
Malaysia and Indonesia had been trying to avoid referring the matter to a third
party, believing that they would be able to solve it based on the neighbourly
spirit and the long-standing friendly relations.
Anifah said it was important for the problem to be resolved not only to
provide
certainty over the two countries' sovereign territories but also to the people
of both countries especially fishermen so that they no longer face difficulties
when fishing at sea near the borders.
Both sides have been accusing fishermen of encroachment, resulting in
arrests
and detentions.
Anifah said at the moment a group of Malaysian fishermen was being held by
Indonesian authorities since March 8, allegedly for encroaching into the
neighbour's territory in Riau, causing concerns among their family members in
Malaysia.
"Although the Malaysian consulate-general has visited them, it has already
been
a month now and I believe that we should get the cooperation of Indonesia to get
them released.
"If Indonesia takes legal action against them, we should check what really
happened," he said.
He said in that incident, the Malaysian authorities reported that the
Indonesian enforcement's boat had encroached into the Malaysian water.
"I don't want to say who is right or who is wrong. Indonesia will say they
are
right and I have confidence in what our authorities have reported, but what is
important is the manner in which we deal with this.
"This is what complicate matters and I have brought this issue to the
Indonesian Foreign Minister, Dr Marty Natalegawa, on the sidelines of the
meeting yesterday that if we continue to delve into who is right and who is
wrong, then we won't be able to come up with a solution," he said.
The victims, he said, would be the fishermen of both countries who had to
continue making a living from the sea. "We should help them, but instead of
doing that, were have become the ones who make their life difficult."
At their meeting, Anifah said he conveyed to Dr Marty that he was saddened
by
the incident and thanked him for giving attention to the matter.
On the detention of two Malaysian boats off Hutan Melintang, Perak, two days
ago, he said, video recording showed that the boat, belonging to the Indonesian
fisheries enforcement agency, had encroached into the Malaysian water and that
they had towed the Malaysian boats into their territory.
When the Malaysian authority requested that they cease doing what they were
doing, they provoked the Malaysian side instead, he said.
"I've conveyed this to the Indonesian Foreign Minister so that this problem
can be resolved, or else, I'm worried that the Malaysian side would also do the
same in a tit-for-tat move," he said.
He also hoped that enforcement officers of both sides would be able to
translate the consensus reached by both countries in dealing with fishermen who
were fishing in disputed areas.
"At the top officers' level they understand the problem but sometimes those
at the field become overzealous when carrying out enforcements and try to show
their power. This is challenge faced by our leaders," he said.
