The frequent encroachments by Malaysian patrol boats on Indonesian waters in Ambalat have actually inspired Indonesia to remain firm in its stance over the disputed area and not to bow to any foreign pressure. Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono during a working meeting with the House Commission I here on Monday said Indonesia would not give in on its stance on the Ambalat block in the Sulawesi Sea claimed by Malaysia as being part of its territory.
Indonesia`s position in the Ambalat isue was legally strong as it was based on the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas (UNCLOS). Juwono reiterated that Indonesia would not be afraid of any kind of manuevers or provocations by Malaysia.
According to Juwono, Indonesia could threaten to curtail Malaysian trade and investment in this world`s largest archipelagic country if that country continued to commit violations in Indonesian waters especially in Ambalat waters. On the same occasion, Indonesian Defense Forces Chief Djoko Santoso said the military would take preventive actions in Ambalat on the basis of a political decision in the spirit of ASEAN.
In the meantime, Indonesia on Saturday warned Malaysia to respect the ongoing process of negotiations on the status of the Ambalat block and to stop making provocative moves in the disputed area. In fact, Chairman of the House Commission I Theo Sambuaga in a consultative meeting with President Yudhoyono said that sovereignty was a fixed price for Indonesia.
Indonesia has so far already sent 36 protest notes to Malaysia about border violations committed by Malaysian patrol boats in Ambalat waters, a spokesman of the Foreign Ministry, Teuku Faizasyah, said. The Navy, he said, had given a chronological report including such details as the dates of the incursions or activities of Malaysian patrol boats in Indonesian waters.
By sending the protest notes, Indonesia wanted to make it plain that Ambalat was an area subject to Indonesian sovereignty, he said. The first protest note was delivered to Malaysian government in 1980. But beside sending the protest notes, the Indonesian government was continuing to use diplomatic channels to arrive at a settlement of the Ambalat issue through negotiations.
Indonesia`s position in the Ambalat isue was legally strong as it was based on the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas (UNCLOS). Juwono reiterated that Indonesia would not be afraid of any kind of manuevers or provocations by Malaysia.
According to Juwono, Indonesia could threaten to curtail Malaysian trade and investment in this world`s largest archipelagic country if that country continued to commit violations in Indonesian waters especially in Ambalat waters. On the same occasion, Indonesian Defense Forces Chief Djoko Santoso said the military would take preventive actions in Ambalat on the basis of a political decision in the spirit of ASEAN.
In the meantime, Indonesia on Saturday warned Malaysia to respect the ongoing process of negotiations on the status of the Ambalat block and to stop making provocative moves in the disputed area. In fact, Chairman of the House Commission I Theo Sambuaga in a consultative meeting with President Yudhoyono said that sovereignty was a fixed price for Indonesia.
Indonesia has so far already sent 36 protest notes to Malaysia about border violations committed by Malaysian patrol boats in Ambalat waters, a spokesman of the Foreign Ministry, Teuku Faizasyah, said. The Navy, he said, had given a chronological report including such details as the dates of the incursions or activities of Malaysian patrol boats in Indonesian waters.
By sending the protest notes, Indonesia wanted to make it plain that Ambalat was an area subject to Indonesian sovereignty, he said. The first protest note was delivered to Malaysian government in 1980. But beside sending the protest notes, the Indonesian government was continuing to use diplomatic channels to arrive at a settlement of the Ambalat issue through negotiations.
