Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Limited fuel supplies for Indonesian Navy ships has hampered the conduct of surveillance and security measure in Indonesian waters, a top military official said here Monday.
"The limited supply of fuel has been reported to President Joko Widodo. Currently, the Government only provided 27 percent of the total fuel needed by the Indonesian Navy," Indonesian Military (TNI) Commander General Moeldoko said here Monday, after leading the ceremony of the Korpris (Indonesian Civil Servants Corps) 43rd Anniversary at Navy Headquarters in Cilangkap, East Jakarta.
Despite the limited supply, Moeldoko said he expected in the future that the Government will support the Navys requirements to help secure the nation�s waters.
Meanwhile, Indonesian Navy Chief of Staff Admiral Marsetio confirmed that the fuel allocation was far from optimal to maintain maritime security.
"If the fuel supply meets our requirements, we can go anywhere. Once there is a report from the KKP (Maritime and Fishery Ministry), or of illegal activity, we can immediately go to the site," Marsetio said.
Marsetio said the Indonesian Navy has three major roles.
First, the Navy has its military role, as the enforcement force in protecting the nations sovereignty. Second, it performs law enforcement and lastly, it carries out a diplomatic role for the nation.
"There is no particular navy ship to tackle illegal fishing. The ships do all the three inherent roles," Marsetio said.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2014
