Indonesian military says it won’t hold joint war games in the South China Sea

“Indonesia has done its utmost to promote peace and stability in the South China Sea, and appealed to all parties not to engage in activities that may increase instability,” TNI chief Gatot Nurmantyo said at a promotion ceremony at the army headquarters in Jakarta on Tuesday. “As such, the TNI will not carry out military exercises with any other country in the South China Sea,” he added.

Nurmantyo’s remarks were released in a statement on Wednesday as the TNI marked the 71st anniversary of its founding in 1945.

He also raised concerns about the terrorist threat, particularly from Indonesians returning from the Middle East, where they fought alongside the Islamic State jihadist group in Iraq and Syria.

“Many Indonesian citizens are in Syria and among them are children who are being indoctrinated with false teachings, and then they return to Indonesia to commit acts of terrorism,” he said.

Indonesia is holding a major military exercise – Puncak Angkasa Yudha – in the Natuna Islands involving thousands of troops, including army paratroopers, as well as F-16 and Sukhoi Su-27 fighter jets.

The Natunas are located near a part of the South China Sea that is the focus of overlapping claims by China, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.

President Joko Widodo was to observe the exercise.

It will be his second visit to the city since China said in March that the waters off the Natunas are part of its traditional fishing grounds. On his trip in June, Widodo was on board a warship, where he held a meeting with a small group of his ministers and military brass.

Jakarta has consistently maintained that it is not a party to the territorial disputes but remains concerned about Beijing’s claim over its exclusive economic zone in the waters off the Natuna Islands.

- THE STRAITS TIMES

ASIA NEWS NETWORK