Indonesia deploys warships amid tensions with Australia
Indonesian has moved warships closer to the border with Australia and put aircraft on stand-by to thwart possible incursions by Australian ships towing back asylum seekers, a report said on January 23..
Last week, Canberra admitted that naval vessels involved in stopping Australia-bound undocumented migrants crossed into Indonesian territorial waters.
A number of Indonesian navy ships have been deployed and four air force defense radars have been programmed to closely monitor the maritime border, The Jakarta Post said, citing military spokesmen.
“If we notice any border violations, our air base in Makassar will be ready,” air force spokesman Air Commodore Hadi Tjahjanto was quoted as saying. “Australia is reachable from there,” he added.
The paper also quoted an anonymous official who said a clash at sea could be “imminent”.
The Sultan Hasanuddin Air Force Base in Makassar, the capital of South Sulawesi province, is the base of 16 Russian-made Sukhoi Su-27and Su-30 fighter aircraft. Navy chief spokesman Commodore Untung Suropati said warships that had moved toward the Australian border included frigates, fast torpedo craft, fast missile craft and corvettes.
Australia’s relationship with Indonesia has hit rocky waters recently, particularly because of Canberra’s ‘turn back the boats’ policy and allegations from US intelligence whistleblower Edward Snowden that Australia spied on the country’s president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, and his wife in 2009.
Indonesian has moved warships closer to the border with Australia and put aircraft on stand-by to thwart possible incursions by Australian ships towing back asylum seekers, a report said on January 23.. Last week, Canberra admitted that naval vessels involved in stopping Australia-bound undocumented migrants crossed into Indonesian territorial waters. A number of Indonesian navy ships have been deployed and four air force defense radars have been programmed to closely monitor the maritime border, The Jakarta Post said, citing military spokesmen. "If we notice any border violations, our air base in Makassar will be ready," air force spokesman Air Commodore...
Indonesian has moved warships closer to the border with Australia and put aircraft on stand-by to thwart possible incursions by Australian ships towing back asylum seekers, a report said on January 23..
Last week, Canberra admitted that naval vessels involved in stopping Australia-bound undocumented migrants crossed into Indonesian territorial waters.
A number of Indonesian navy ships have been deployed and four air force defense radars have been programmed to closely monitor the maritime border, The Jakarta Post said, citing military spokesmen.
“If we notice any border violations, our air base in Makassar will be ready,” air force spokesman Air Commodore Hadi Tjahjanto was quoted as saying. “Australia is reachable from there,” he added.
The paper also quoted an anonymous official who said a clash at sea could be “imminent”.
The Sultan Hasanuddin Air Force Base in Makassar, the capital of South Sulawesi province, is the base of 16 Russian-made Sukhoi Su-27and Su-30 fighter aircraft. Navy chief spokesman Commodore Untung Suropati said warships that had moved toward the Australian border included frigates, fast torpedo craft, fast missile craft and corvettes.
Australia’s relationship with Indonesia has hit rocky waters recently, particularly because of Canberra’s ‘turn back the boats’ policy and allegations from US intelligence whistleblower Edward Snowden that Australia spied on the country’s president, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, and his wife in 2009.
