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6th September, 2010
KOTA KINABALU: Malaysia is hopeful to seek some solutions to deal with cross-boundary issues with Indonesia when the two Foreign Ministers meet today.
Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman, who is scheduled to meet his Indonesian counterpart Dr R M Marty M Natalegawa in Sabah this morning, said as neighbours sharing a long sea boundary it is very likely that vessels from Indonesia may intrude into Malaysian waters again or vice versa.
As such, he said the important part of the solution should involve not only preventing such incidents from happening but more pressingly it is to find solutions to contain it from escalating and exploited by certain parties to create conflict between the countries.
“We may not find all the solutions but we’re working towards finding certain solutions, and I think over a period of time we may be able to find good solutions. I’m not pessimistic but I’m also not optimistic. Yes, we’ll not be able to find solutions to all pressing (issues) but at least it is a step forward in finding solutions to our problems,” he told reporters when met at a breaking of fast here Saturday evening.
Anifah said one of the matters to be detailed in the meeting is the incident last month when the enforcement division of the Indonesian Marine & Fisheries Ministry detained seven Malaysian fishermen in the Malaysian-Indonesian waters near Bintan, Riau Islands, while the Malaysian Marine Operations Force detained three enforcement officers of the Indonesian ministry.
The case had resulted in various reactions where 37 members of the Indonesian Bendera movement demonstrated in front of the Malaysian Embassy in Jakarta on Monday and hurled human faeces as ‘gifts’ to Malaysia, which was alleged to have tarnished Indonesia’s image in an even worse manner.
“We have to clearly define what actually transpired because both Malaysia and Indonesia have conflicting reports on who actually intruded whose waters. And whether it is all part of the solution, I’m not very sure but what’s more important is we have to realise that we are neighbours and I don’t think for one moment that this thing will not happen again in the future.
“I have my reports and I am very sure the Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister also has his reports but what’s most important is not to ascertain who’s right, who’s wrong, what’s important is should this incident occur in the future, we have solutions on how to solve and manage it,” he said.
On the Malaysian side, he said his ministry was looking to discuss with ministers in the cabinet in regard to using the GPS (Global Positioning System) and satellite technology to monitor vessels along the Malaysian-Indonesia sea borders.
He said the Agriculture & Fisheries Ministries already have the system that can locate fishing boats at any given time and the system can be used to warn vessels that are about to cross over maritime border.
Anifah who will be having a four-eye meeting with Natalegawa said they would also touch on the issue of illegal Indonesian immigrants in Malaysia.
“The country of origin as far as possible must make sure their citizens do not travel out illegally but we know it is quite an impossible task. Nevertheless, we have to find ways and means how to minimise this and I think we will look into all aspects of issues that will affect our relationship.
“So, whatever needs to be addressed will be addressed in the meeting, or at least we’ll prepare for the subsequent meeting because I must admit we will not be able to solve the problem in this one meeting. So far, we have 15 technical meeting in regards to maritime boundary and I suppose there will be a lot more meetings.
“What is important is that we agree on certain aspects and how to proceed with the meetings in the future and also the basic principles that will be discussed upon,” he said.
The meeting expected to last until this afternoon is crucial as both parties realise Malaysia-Indonesia ties have been excellent and therefore it is quite a challenge to further improve or even maintain it in such a good mood.
The pressure was also high on the delegates as citizens in both countries await the outcome after what transpired over the last few month, where some provocative displays by certain Indonesian groups have taken place, including the burning of the Malaysian flag and throwing faeces at the Malaysian Embassy.
Anifah said the provocative approach by these “minority” groups do not reflect the overall sentiment of Indonesians towards Malaysia and that both the republic’s Foreign Minister and President have assured the safety of Malaysian citizens there.
“We’re very lucky because not only our people to people relationship is good but also our leaders including Prime Minister (Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak) and President (Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono). The outcome of the meeting is very much awaited, I suppose, for both the people of Indonesia and Malaysia. However, we must stress that such (provocative) incident should not happen again in the future,” he said.
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