Stephen Fitzpatrick, Jakarta – Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has thrown down the gauntlet to Malaysia as tensions rise over a disputed maritime zone, declaring there will be "no compromises" and ordering an increased show of military force.
Malaysia sent another warship across the sea border near northeastern Borneo on Tuesday, the 10th time it has done so this year, according to Jakarta. Indonesia responded by stepping up naval patrols in the area and ordering extra seapower to stand by at the main port of Surabaya.
In South Korea for an ASEAN summit, Mr Yudhoyono declared yesterday that the oil- and gas-rich Ambalat area, on the border between Indonesian Kalimantan and Malaysian Sabah near the southern Philippines was "sovereign territory".
Mr Yudhoyono, who hopes to be re-elected next month and was playing partly to a domestic audience, said he had presented his demands to Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak on the sidelines of ASEAN.
"I will emphasise to all people, our position is clear: what (Malaysia) is claiming is Indonesian territory," he said. "There will be no compromise or tolerance – this is the bottom line."
The latest maritime infraction triggered outrage in Jakarta, with parliamentarians demanding that Indonesia recall its ambassador to Malaysia – the former police chief Da'i Bachtiar – and expel his opposite number.
"Until the issue is cleared, there is no need for an embassy," said Tjahyo Kumolo, from presidential hopeful Megawati Sukarnoputri's Indonesian Democratic Party for Struggle.
The Golkar party's head of the powerful parliamentary commission on foreign affairs, Theo Sambuaga, urged Malaysia's "parliament and Government... not to do anything provocative and transgressive in Ambalat".
Mr Sambuaga warned that such actions would result in a "harsh response, and if the good relationship between Indonesia and Malaysia deteriorates, Malaysia must take responsibility for that".
Indonesia's Home Secretary Hatta Radjasa joined the fray, saying Mr Yudhoyono's administration would be "extremely firm on this". "Don't think we will be weak and just allow this to happen. This country is not like that," Mr Radjasa said.
Conflict between the two countries last resulted in war more than 40 years ago, although in recent times there have been more symbolic areas of conflict. These included disputes over the countries' shared Malay cultural heritage, such as which nation had the greater claim to particular songs and dances, as well as more significant issues such as the poor treatment of Indonesian migrant workers in Malaysia.
Mr Yudhoyono gave a veiled warning that even ASEAN, generally the forum most appropriate for addressing such grievances, might not be enough to contain this quarrel.
"We are both ASEAN nations. We have an ASEAN treaty, we have diplomacy and we have peaceful resolution," he said.
"So there is no need for rhetoric in order that a leader be regarded as brave and strong, always sparking war everywhere. Remember, war is the final solution. We don't invite problems on developing nations."
His military leaders were more direct yesterday. "Our exercises are already focused on war, in line with the increasing Indonesian-Malaysian conflict in the Ambalat waters," said Second Lieutenant Denny Aprianto, head of a marines forward strike force patrolling the area. "We've received orders from above to step up our guard."
The 15,000 sqkm zone contains an estimated 30 years' worth of oil and gas reserves. Malaysia refuses to back down on its claim to Ambalat, but has not spoken publicly, with its news media staying out of the controversy, Jakarta's Koran Tempo reported yesterday.
The newspaper quoted Rear Admiral Anuwi bin Hassan, from Malaysian navy headquarters, as saying: "We will not make a statement or clarification on the Ambalat issue. It does not need to be addressed."