Jakarta, EDITOR.ID,- The presence of the coast guard ships versus the warships of the Republic of Indonesia has increasingly heated up the Natuna sea area. The warships of the Republic of Indonesia are deployed to guard the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in waters which are claimed to be territorial boundaries under Indonesian sovereignty.
The Indonesian Navy has sent ships, planes and drones to keep an eye on suspicious movements of Chinese coast guard ships which continue to operate in the Natuna waters without permission from the Indonesian government.
So that the forces in the sea are seen watching each other and heating up. The Chinese Coast Guard ship has not yet wanted to get out of the zone under the sovereignty of the Indonesian state.
The Chinese Embassy in Jakarta explained about its guard ships sailing around the Natuna Sea in Indonesian territory. The Chinese coast guard ship, CCG 5901, has sailed in the Natuna Sea, according to the Indonesian Ocean Justice Initiative.
As reported by Tempo, Monday, January 16, 2023, a spokesperson for the Chinese Embassy who did not want to give his name said that the coast guard ship sailed in sea areas that have China’s jurisdiction.
The sea area is in accordance with domestic law and international law including UNCLOS (UN Convention on the Law of the Sea).
“For the sake of maintaining security and order at sea,” he said when contacted, Monday, January 16, 2023.
Indonesia has deployed a warship to its North Natuna Sea to monitor a Chinese coast guard vessel that has been active in a resource-rich maritime area.
On Saturday, January 14, 2023, Chief of Naval Staff (KSAL) Admiral Muhammad Ali, stated that a warship, maritime patrol aircraft and drones had been deployed to monitor Chinese coast guard vessels.
According to the Indonesian Ocean Justice Initiative told Reuters, vessel tracking data shows the vessel, CCG 5901, has been sailing in the Natuna Sea, specifically near the Tuna Block gas field and Vietnam’s Chim Sao oil and gas field since December 30, 2022.
“The Chinese ship did not carry out any suspicious activity. But we need to monitor it because it has been in Indonesia’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) for a long time,” said Muhammad Ali.
On the same occasion, a spokesperson for the Chinese embassy emphasized that China had cooperated with Indonesia to manage maritime differences. It will continue to carry out consultations and dialogue between the two countries.
The spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia has not immediately commented on the prospects for discussions between the two countries on this issue.
