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Singapore risks overreacting on warship issue: SBY

SINGAPORE — Singapore should reflect on whether its reaction to Indonesia’s decision to name a Navy frigate after two marines who carried out a deadly bombing in the Republic in the ’60s is “proportional”, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said yesterday via his spokesman on foreign affairs.

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. PHOTO: REUTERS

Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. PHOTO: REUTERS

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SINGAPORE — Singapore should reflect on whether its reaction to Indonesia’s decision to name a Navy frigate after two marines who carried out a deadly bombing in the Republic in the ’60s is “proportional”, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said yesterday via his spokesman on foreign affairs.

Metrotvnews.com quoted spokesman Teuku Faizasyah saying that Mr Yudhoyono has given serious attention to the issue. The risks of over-reacting are too high, added Mr Faizasyah, who also emphasised that the two nations have had good relations for a long time.

“We have said clearly that we have no intention of changing the name of the ship,” he said. “We have already developed our friendship to ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations), our bilateral ties are also strong, let’s not allow things like this to return us to the past when it’s over,” he said.

Echoing his views, Indonesian Defence Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro also sought to play down the incident and said he does not think bilateral ties will be affected.

“I don’t think that’s a big deal. It happens between neighbours. Neighbours are there, neighbours will be there forever. Sometimes, little things happen, but I think there will be understanding of each other,” he said. “I believe that in the short run, medium run, our relations will be there again. No problem.”

The two countries have been locked in a diplomatic row since it emerged last Tuesday that Indonesia had named a corvette after Usman Hj Mohd Ali and Harun Said.

The marines infiltrated Singapore as part of Konfrontasi, which was Indonesia’s policy of confrontation during Malaysia’s early days. The bomb they planted at MacDonald House in 1965 killed three and injured 33. They were tried and hanged in 1968.

Several of Singapore’s Cabinet Ministers, including Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen and Foreign Affairs Minister K Shanmugam, have stated their concerns with their counterparts over the issue, but the spat has dragged on, with Jakarta pushing back with what it saw as interference.

Yesterday, Indonesia’s House of Representatives Commission I legislator Tubagus Hasanudin called for the matter to be dropped.

He said: “The case happened in 1964 in the context of the Konfrontasi between Indonesia and Malaysia, not Singapore. The situation has changed and so has politics. Let’s close the book and be peaceful.”

However, Indonesian military chief Moeldoko took issue with Singapore’s portrayal of the two marines as terrorists. “I cannot accept it if Usman and Harun are represented as terrorists. They were marines; they were state actors,” he said, adding that the military would stand firm on its naming decision and resist any foreign intervention that would harm Indonesia’s sovereignty.

Meanwhile, Second Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing, who was speaking at the opening of the Asia Pacific Security Conference yesterday, said countries need wise and strong leaders who appreciate that there is more to gain from cooperation than conflict. He did not allude to the disagreement over the naming of the warship.

“We also need courageous leaders who do not succumb to domestic pressures or nationalistic pursuits against the greater good of the region, including seeking to right historical wrongs and perceived wrongs when the conditions are still premature,” he said.

“We need leaders who do not succumb to the notion that might is right — that the mightier one may be, the more circumspect one may be in using one’s might. The mark of a powerful country is not how it is able to use its might to get its way; (but it) is how it is able to restrain itself and not have to use its might to get its way, yet convince others to come along its side.”

The latest comments came after the Republic cancelled invitations to today’s Singapore Airshow for the Indonesian Navy chief and his delegation of junior armed forces officials.

The rescheduling of a meeting that was to take place during the airshow between Mr Chan and his counterpart also resulted in the latter, along with three of his military top brass, deciding not to attend the event.

The development led to queries over whether the scheduled display by the Indonesian Air Force’s Jupiter Aerobatic team at the airshow would happen. Mr Moeldoko said: “We will go on with the plan to display the Jupiter Aerobatic at the show. But we are ready to withdraw if we are not given time to do so.” AGENCIES

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