Indonesia - Singapore Relations: Facing a Toxic Brand of Indonesian Nationalism
MINDEF said:
On
10 March 2014, Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen wrote to the President of the Singapore Armed Forces Veterans' League (SAFVL), BG (NS) Winston Toh, to commend the SAFVL for organising a memorial service for the victims and fallen soldiers during Konfrontasi.
Singapore Armed Forces Veterans’ League's president,
BG Winston Toh said in his address at the memorial service: “This will help Singaporeans remember the victims of Konfrontasi and educate younger generations about our past. It will also commemorate the efforts and sacrifices the nation made by our fallen comrades.”
Below, Singapore Combat Engineers were instrumental in setting up the beachheads to land heavy vehicles and to push the tons of needed medical and other supplies ashore from the Endurance Class LPDs in January 2005.
For Engineer Force Commander, the then MAJ Lam Chee Young was stricken with worry when he learnt about the tsunami, as one of his good friends, MAJ Erwin from the TNI, lived in Meulaboh. MAJ Lam said:-
“I was told that he was lost, and I assumed that I would not see him again. So I was most pleased when I landed in Meulaboh and I heard him call my name. Although he lost his daughter in the disaster, he is mentally strong and able to return to work to provide help to other Indonesians.”
Below, after a hard day's work by the Singapore Combat Engineers, the completed sea landing site - sturdy for use either by soldiers or by vehicles. Once the two sea landing sites were built, naval fast craft and amphibious LARC 5s were used to push needed supplies from the Endurance Class LPDs ashore.
By clearing tsunami debris from roads with their assorted Engineering Plants, Singapore Combat Engineers facilitated the movement of medical teams and their supplies to where they are most needed. These Engineering Plants include the Combat Engineer Tractor (CET). Below, is an amphibious CET used to clear tsunami debris at Meulaboh due to its earthmoving, winching and lifting capabilities.
Below, an amphibious LARC 5, on a mission to deliver supplies to a tsunami devastated area in Meulaboh.
Below, Singapore Combat Engineers clearing the ground at a designated Chinook landing site in Meulaboh.
The re-establishment of lines of communications by the Singapore Combat Engineers enabled the SAF to push forward reverse osmosis units to make drinking water on-site, where needed (this was because existing wells had be contaminated by debris and seawater). Below, a reverse osmosis water unit brought forward to Meulaboh to make drinking water.
CTF 151 celebrates promotion of Indonesian Officer
27 April 2013 -- The Combined Maritime Forces’ Combined Task Force 151 (CTF 151) celebrated a milestone moment in the career of one of its battle staff members recently. In honour of his advancement from Lieutenant, Rear Admiral Giam Hock Koon, Republic of Singapore Navy, presented a CTF 151 baseball cap to the Indonesian Navy’s newest Lieutenant Commander, Nurulloh Zemy Prasetyo, in the officers’ mess aboard RFA Fort Victoria.
Lt Cdr Zemy is one member of a seven-nation coalition staff which includes Singapore, Australia, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, the Republic of Korea, Indonesia and the United States. Singapore’s Lieutenant Vincent Chan said: “Lt Cdr Zemy is representative of the exceptional level of professionalism of this coalition and I am happy to celebrate his achievement.”
Despite a proven track record of being of service to the Indonesian people, some elites in Jakarta see Singapore’s air and naval power as another source of discontent. They are not happy with the current
status quo, despite Singapore's consistent efforts to work with them in a manner that directly benefits them. Singapore controls the airspace within a 110-nautical mile radius of the city-state. As a result, Singapore’s Flight Information Region (FIR) extends over Indonesian territory, including Batam, Natuna and Dumai in Riau. Given Singapore’s broad FIR, Indonesian elites see it as a loss of potential income from the route tariffs charged to aircraft passing through these portions of its airspace. However, Indonesia is not a
council member
(composed of 36 member states elected by the assembly for a three-year term) of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and their air traffic control systems over Batam does not meet ICAO standards. Until the Indonesians meet ICAO standards, Singapore's portion of FIR over Batam will not be handed over. The Singapore Civil Aviation Authority will provide technical assistance to ensure that Indonesia's airport in Batam meets ICAO standards. In other words, a strong no to Indonesia unless they are willing to invest in equipment, training and systems that comply with international air traffic control standards.
Today said:
Indon marines pose as terrorists, re-igniting row with Singapore
21 MARCH 2014 -- SINGAPORE/JAKARTA — Tensions over Indonesia’s naming of its warship after two convicted terrorists have flared up again, when Indonesian marines posed as the MacDonald House bombers at the Jakarta International Defence Dialogue exhibition on Wednesday. In a statement, Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) said it was concerned and disappointed over the incident, and that the Singapore Armed Forces delegation has withdrawn from the event...
Indonesian news magazine Tempo reported that the marines were portrayed by First Sergeant Hari and First Sergeant Ahmad, although it was not clear which units the duo were from. The booth for Indonesia’s TNI Navy Marines Corps was part of the Jakarta International Defence Dialogue (JIDD) 2014, a two-day forum that seeks to boost collaboration between nations in the Indo-Pacific region, said The Jakarta Post newspaper. The forum was expected to be attended by about 500 delegates, including scholars as well as military and government officials from 46 countries. It was held as part of the anniversary of the Indonesian Defence University, the newspaper said.
...
<snip>
The row between Singapore and Indonesia was sparked by the naming of an Indonesian naval vessel after the two marines — Usman Hj Mohd Ali and Harun Said — convicted and later executed in Singapore for killing three people and injuring 33 in the bombing of MacDonald House in March 1965. The attack was part of a series of bombings on the island during the Indonesian Confrontation.
...
<snip>
The Singapore ministers had also pointed out that Indonesia’s “inexplicable move” would have consequences on bilateral relations.
In October 2013, Indonesia conducted it's largest deployment of warplanes to Hang Nadim Airport in Batam during the Angkasa Yudha war games. It is noted that some Indonesian flights took off from Hang Nadim Airport to destination Natunas, while ignoring instructions from Changi air traffic control, whose job was to ensure safe flight separation between commercial traffic and Indonesian aircraft on exercise. Further, on
28 Oct 2014, a C90GTi King Air owned by ST Aerospace and was operated by its pilot training subsidiary, Pacific Flight Services was intercepted by Indonesian fighter jets. It was flying from Sibu Airport in Sarawak to Seletar Airport in Singapore when it was intercepted by the Indonesian jets and ordered to land at the Supadio military airbase in Pontianak, Kalimantan. The TNI said the plane illegally flew into its airspace and the Singapore-registered plane was fined 60 million rupiah (S$6,300) before it was released.
Beyond this Oct 2014 incident, in 2007 the Indonesian Navy enforced a sand embargo on Singapore theoretically on environmental grounds. But Indonesian lip service on concerns about the environment is bogus. This bogus concern for the environment is demonstrated in 1997, 1998 and again in June 2013, when Malaysians and Singaporeans were suffocated by the thick haze caused by forest fires from Indonesia. The recurring haze led to an agreement on trans-boundary haze pollution was approved by the ASEAN in 2002. However, Indonesia has shown no sign that it intends to ratify the agreement. As a compromise, in October 2013, ASEAN members agree to implement the Haze Monitoring System, which was paid for and developed by Singapore, and again provided free to Indonesia. It essentially uses satellite imagery to establish the areas where burning occurs and is dependent on Indonesian input to upload land concession maps. So you might say, that, Singaporeans suffer from a suffocating relationship with certain members of the Indonesian Government, which we have a privilege to pay for with our tax dollars.
The Jakarta Post said:
Minister orders probe into Usman-Harun stunt
22 March 2014 -- Defense Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro has said he regrets a diplomatic incident on Wednesday in which two Indonesian marines wore the names of the two perpetrators of a 1965 Singapore bombing, while on duty at an international defense event in Jakarta on Wednesday.
The minister said the incident at the Jakarta International Defense Dialogue (JIDD), which prompted the Singaporean delegation to walk out of the talks, was inappropriate and he had ordered the Navy to fully investigate the embarrassing behavior of the two Indonesian marines involved.
“We have asked the Navy to investigate who they are and who sent them,” Purnomo said at the State Palace on Friday.
...
<snip>
It should be noted that officers of the Indonesian Navy have their hands in numerous businesses, including running a smuggling ring (of duty-unpaid cigarettes) when their naval vessels call on Singapore. Some members of the Indonesian navy, who were here for a meeting, loaded cartons of contraband cigarettes onto the minibus that Ee Jin Liang and Ang Zi Heng were driving and directed the Singaporeans to drive to the carpark outside the naval base. Ee and Ang made a total of five to six trips and they received contraband cigarettes for helping with the smuggling (see PP v Ee Jin Liang, DAC 12097 – 12106 of 2009). In the case of Ee Jin Liang, on five occasions over a six-month period in 2008, he assisted Indonesian Navy personnel in smuggling contraband cigarettes to Singapore. In return for his assistance, the accused received bribes in the form of contraband cigarettes. The accused was arrested on 14 December 2008 by Customs while his vehicle was being loaded with contraband cigarettes. The amount of contraband cigarettes seized on that occasion amounted to 33,614 cartons, weighing 8,456.28 kg. This was one of the largest seizures of contraband cigarettes on record with unpaid customs duties amounting to over S$2.9 million. Ee faced ten charges and was sentenced to
4.5 years, and Ang was sentenced to
16 months for these criminal offences. The Indonesian Navy officers involved in running one of the largest smuggling rings in Singapore, were not punished for their criminal acts, demonstrating the need for security sector reform. According to this report, Lt General (Retired)
Agus Widjojo had suggested ta number of security sector reforms for Indonesia. These include passage of the long-stalled national security bill that would clarify the division of responsibilities between the military, police and others, the establishment of a National Security Council, policy subordination of the Commander-in-Chief to the minister for defence, policy subordination of the Chief of Police to a minister, creating joint military geographic commands, disbanding territorial commands below provincial level in peace time, and enabling legislation to formalise military assistance to the civil power. He also wants a ‘blue-print’ for the long-term development of defence.
Having said the above, both Indonesia and Singapore have a track record of working together. For details read, the 2009 article on '
Mapping a good fence with Singapore', which details the mapping of the maritime boundary between Indonesia and Singapore, in good faith.
IHS Jane's 360 said:
Attack on tanker near Indonesia's Anambas Islands underlines growing oil theft risk in waters off Malay Peninsula
IHS Jane's Country Risk Daily Report - 10 July 2014
Armed pirates boarded an oil tanker near Indonesia's Anambas Islands on 4 July, taking the crew hostage before escaping with the vessel's cargo.
According to the Regional Cooperation Agreement on Combating Piracy and Armed Robbery against Ships in Asia (ReCAAP), an inter-governmental organisation, the Singapore-owned Moresby 9 was boarded at about 1938 local time by an unknown number of men, 34 nautical miles west-northwest of the Anambas Islands. On 8 July, the commander of the Indonesian naval base in the Anambas Islands, Lieutenant Colonel Agung Jaya Saktika, told national media that the pirates had siphoned off all of the tanker's 2,200 tonnes of marine gas oil before releasing the vessel and the crew.
Below, the then COL Tan Chuan-Jin, Commander, Joint-Humanitarian Assistance Task Force, briefing the then Indonesian Minister for Social Affairs Bachtiar Chamsyah (seated, looking up, in matching short-sleeve brown shirt and pants) along with the international and local press contingent, in their own language, on 3 January 2005, on the progress of tsunami relief efforts. Tan Chuan-Jin was later promoted to Brigadier General (and is currently Singapore's Minister for Manpower).
The then COL Tan (and currently, Singapore Minister for Manpower) was touched by his experience in Meulaboh, and added that:-
“I’ve learnt about the courage and commitment of the TNI in leading and organising its people effectively. Their selfless sacrifices and non-stop efforts despite personal loss and tragedy make them heroes in our eyes. I’ve also learnt the meaning of friendship, brotherhood and solidarity by the bonds of friendship forged with the people of Meulaboh. We share much in common, and I regard them not just as good neighbours, but members of the same family. Most importantly, I’ve learnt about the spirit of the people of Meulaboh and how they picked themselves up and quickly started the re-building process. The smiles on the people’s faces tell us whatever happens, the human spirit is unbreakable.”
Below, the then COL Tan (right) hands over a modular building, constructed in a week, by Combat Engineers of the TNI and the SAF over to COL Geerhan Lantara for use in reconstruction efforts of Meulaboh.
The armed forces of Indonesia and Singapore have a record of working well together in times of emergency and need. On the one hand, the TNI provided valuable assistance to Singapore in the search and rescue operations, following the Silkair MI-185 crash in Palembang in 1997. The TNI and SAF also worked together in hostage rescue operations in West Papua in 1996. An SAF Remotely Piloted Vehicle detachment worked closely with the Indonesian special forces in Timika in West Papua, providing surveillance which proved crucial in facilitating the successful rescue of Indonesian and foreign hostages (from the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Germany) taken by the Organisasi Papua Merdeka or Free Papua Movement. The RSAF's then Tactical Air Support Command (now renamed Air Defence and Operations Command) received a campaign streamer for that. The streamer is navy blue with a red stripe between two thin yellow lines throughout its length and inscribed with "Timika 1996" in white and the streamer was inherited by the UAV Command Regimental Colour in 2011. The cooperation between the SAF and the TNI also extends to humanitarian assistance and disaster relief missions, such as the relief efforts in Aceh following the Boxing Day Tsunami in 2004, Yogyakarta in 2006 and the Padang earthquake in 2009. Singapore maintains at some cost (transfering to them 19 SF-260s and even a dive support boat to Indonesia), close relations with the Indonesians. For example, Singapore provides TNI-AU officers training on Singapore's F-5, Super Puma, EC-120 helicopter and G-tolerance simulators. Somewhere between 50 and 70 pilots come every year for this kind of simulator training. Recently, the SAF also provided TNI tank commanders with Leopard 2 training in Singapore. Further, Singapore also provides a submarine rescue service for the Indonesian Navy, and it also provides the Indonesian Navy with the Surpic II information sharing portal, a sea surveillance system, set up since 2005, to provide maritime awareness of the Singapore Strait.
