"We will seek confirmation first regarding the hijacking that allegedly involved six Indonesian citizens. We will seek confirmation from the authorities that are handling the case, namely either the Malaysian marine police or the Malaysian navy," Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro said here on Wednesday.
He spoke about the incident after inspecting the construction of an apartment buildings for military and civil servant families in Jatisari (Bekasi) and Ciangsana (Bogor), West Java.
The minister noted Indonesia and Malaysia had been conducting routine coordinated patrols on a bilateral basis, and trilaterally with Singapore to secure the Strait of Malacca. The patrols were not only done by sea but also by air through the "Eye in the Sky" program.
"So, based on the cooperation, we will seek confirmation regarding the incident," he said.
As reported by the New Straits Times, the Indonesian nationals were arrested on Monday (Sept 19) while trying to hijack a commercial boat off the coast of Tanjung Piai, Pontian. The six Indonesians were suspected of being involved in a number of hijackings in the region.
Malaysian Maritime Police Chief Admiral Zulkifli Abu Bakar said Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA) officers had been monitoring their activity since Sunday morning (Sept 18) in the sea south of Johor, close to Singapore.
The Malaysian officers caught the hijackers in the act of trying to board the boat. The hijackers fled as soon as they realized they had been spotted, he said.
Indonesia and Malaysia had been conducting the Malaysia-Indonesia Coordinated Patrol Operation (Patkor Malindo) 113/2011 since September 15, 2011 involving elements from the Indonesian navy such as the KRI-Clurit and KRI Sigurot while the Malaysian navy was represented by the KD Pendekar and KD Gempita.
The chief of the Naval Main Base I in Belawan, Rear Admiral Bambang Soesilo, said the "Malindo" patrol activity was coordinated by the Indonesian navy and the TLDM to keep the Strait of Malacca free from security threats and problems such as piracy, smuggling, pollution and others.
The Patkor Malindo 113/2011 was also initiated to create a conducive situation for the international community that used the sea passage and maintain the image of the Strait of Malacca as a secure passage.
Therefore, the Patkor Malindo 113/2011 activity was being continued and even carried out more intensively and effectively, he said.
(T.R018/H-YH/HAJM/A014)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
Copyright © ANTARA 2011
