SINGAPORE — Foreign Affairs Minister K Shanmugam yesterday welcomed the comments from his Indonesian counterpart that there was no ill intent or malice in naming its warship after two marines convicted of setting off a bomb here, but he made it clear that it is important Indonesia understands and acknowledges that the move impacts on Singapore’s sensitivities.

The naming of the warship, while being a sovereign right, “intersects with a part of our mutual history, and the Singaporean and Indonesian mutual decision to put that history behind us”, said Mr Shanmugam, who was speaking to the media at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The act targeting civilians by the marines Osman Hj Mohd Ali and Harun Said — who were tried and hanged here in 1968 for the MacDonald House bombing that killed three and injured 33 others — was illegal under international law.

“It was part of a campaign of terror. And, you know, it was totally contrary to the laws of war,” said Mr Shanmugam, who is also Law Minister. “There is nothing subjective about Geneva Conventions … there are no shades of grey here.”

Explaining why Singapore asked Indonesia to re-consider naming the warship KRI Usman Harun, he said: “It is one thing to name a building in Indonesia, or bury them in the Heroes’ cemetery. It is quite another to name a warship — the signal is very different because the ship sails the seven seas, carrying that message to every land that the ship goes to as it carries that nation’s flag.”

After news surfaced last week on the naming of the frigate, Singapore Ministers raised concerns to their Indonesian counterparts. The Republic also withdrew invitations to the Singapore Airshow for the Indonesian navy chief and his delegation, while the Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent a diplomatic note to Jakarta.

From 1963 to 1966, Indonesia adopted a policy of confrontation in opposition to the formation of Malaysia. Mr Shanmugam said when Konfrontasi ended, Singapore released, at Jakarta’s request, 45 men, including two who had been sentenced to death for another bombing in which no one died. This was when former Indonesian President Suharto had come to power and both sides were seeking to forge new ties.

That second bombing had taken place a month after the MacDonald House attack, “so there must have been a perception that the first attack was successful and, therefore ... the second attack”, he said. “Yet, we set them free, so we were also balanced.”

Not pardoning Osman and Harun was a defining moment in Singapore’s foreign policy and it was not an easy decision, he said. The British forces were withdrawing in two years and Singapore had an “almost non-existent defence capability” in 1968, but then Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew stood firm.

Had Singapore released Osman and Harun, it would have set the precedent that the Republic would, or should, do what a bigger country asks, “even when we have been grievously hurt”, said Mr Shanmugam. “That would be a different concept of sovereignty.”

On Singapore-Indonesia ties today, Mr Shanmugam said the relationship is mutually beneficial. The Republic was Jakarta’s second-largest investor last year and Indonesia has provided the stability that has allowed the region to prosper, he noted.

On Tuesday, Indonesian Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa gave an interview to Singapore media in Jakarta. Among other things, Dr Marty said there must have been some miscommunication in terms of the likely response on Singapore’s part or Indonesia’s part and stressed the closeness of bilateral ties. Mr Shanmugam described Dr Marty’s comments as very constructive. “In that context, it is quite important for us to know the marines are not being honoured for killing Singaporeans,” he said.