DILI, East Timor (22 Sep 2004) -- An Indonesian warship attempted to chase away foreign divers it apparently believed had strayed into Indonesian waters near an East Timorese island, officials in Dili said on Thursday. The incident occurred last Sunday when the warship KRI 882 confronted the divers operating from a boat about 100 meters (330 feet) off the north shore of East Timor's Atauro island, said foreign ministry spokesman Crisogno de Araujo. East Timor, which underwent a bloody separation from Indonesia in 1999, has yet to begin talks on a sea boundary with its neighbor, which has become increasingly sensitive over the sovereignty of its outlying islands. "I don't know exactly how close the Indonesian warship was to the divers but according to the divers, the warship came straight to them and said something on the microphone, for them to stop," de Araujo told AFP. He said the warship entered East Timorese waters apparently in the belief the divers had encroached on the Indonesian side. East Timor has asked for"clarification" from Indonesian officials, deAraujo said. "It's not so big an incident," he said, adding the dive boat carrying several foreign tourists returned to Dili after the warship hailed it. Indonesia's foreign ministry spokesman, Marty Natalegawa, said he was trying to obtain information about the "so-called incident." The spokesman for Indonesia's eastern naval fleet could not be reached. In January East Timor expressed concern to Indonesia after Indonesian naval personnel conducted weapons training on a small rocky outcrop off the western edge of Oecussi, an East Timorese enclave surrounded by Indonesian West Timor. | | Tom and Eileen Lonergan Dili says talks on the status of the outcrop, claimed by Indonesia which calls it Pulau Batek, should be held after both countries agree on their land border, which is 90 percent resolved. East Timor gained independence in May 2002 after 31 months of United Nations stewardship that followed a 1999 vote for independence from Indonesia, which invaded the former Portuguese colony in 1975. At least 1,400 East Timorese died during the 1999 turmoil. The loss of East Timor also traumatized Indonesian officials but both countries have said they want to forget the past and seek friendly relations. Earlier this month Indonesia's navy chief, Admiral Bernard Kent Sondakh, warned conflict could erupt with neighboring countries if Indonesia did not assert its sovereignty around 12 border islands, including Batek. Indonesia is the world's largest archipelago with more than 17,000 islands. It has started paying attention along its borders after losing two to Malaysia in a December, 2002 decision by the International Court of Justice. The court awarded Sipadan and Ligitan, off Borneo, to Malaysia because Kuala Lumpur had asserted authority over them since the 1930s. SOURCE - Jakarta Post |
