Indonesia rejects force in border row

MANILA, Philippines - Indonesia rejects “the use of force to resolve any kind of outstanding border dispute,” President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said on Friday at the conclusion of his state visit.

Yudhoyono, who was in Manila for a state visit and also to attend the World Economic Forum (WEF) on East Asia, said during the state dinner hosted by President Aquino in his honor last Friday that the two countries should combine their respective potentials and strengths for the common good of the people.

“And I am glad that our bilateral relations are indeed on the right track with plenty of room for further expansion. We should seize the momentum from the historic achievement we made during (Friday’s) bilateral meeting, particularly on our agreement on the delimitation of our exclusive economic zone (EEZ) borders,” Yudhoyono said.

“By having this agreement, we can boost our cooperation in maritime and eco-tourism sectors while at the same time tackle transnational crimes. Such an agreement shows to the region and the world that with strong determination, countries can resolve maritime disputes peacefully through negotiation,” the Indonesian leader added.

The two leaders on Friday witnessed the signing of the agreement on the delimitation of the exclusive economic zone boundary, a result of a rules-based negotiation between the Philippines and Indonesia under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea to achieve an equitable delimitation of their overlapping EEZs in the Mindanao Sea, Celebes Sea and the Philippine Sea.

Yudhoyono said he agreed completely with Aquino that the conclusion of the negotiation for the maritime agreement that took 20 years was a “new key milestone.”

“And God willing, in Allah, it will bring great benefit, real benefit for both Indonesia and the Philippines. And therefore with the agreement or such delimitation of maritime boundaries, we may work even closer,” Yudhoyono said.

The Indonesian leader said the agreement is a model, a good example that any dispute, including maritime border tension, can be resolved peacefully.

“Not... the use of military might… which… interferes with and endangers stability and peace in our region or anywhere in the world,” he said.

Yudhoyono said he and Aquino also exchanged views on the importance of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations as well as the countries in Asia so that they could safeguard stability and security in the region.

“We know that there are challenges at the political level at this time in Asia. The situation in Asia, in East Asia, is filled with tension and so too the situation in Southeast Asia, including on the South China Sea. The position of ASEAN is clear, the position of Indonesia is clear – that any of the tension must be resolved peacefully without the use of military force,” he said.

Yudhoyono urged that the Declaration of Conduct become the Code of Conduct, “which we can refer to international law, which refers to the resolution, use of political and diplomacy as a tool.”

“Therefore, it is my view that it is time that we invite, we call upon all parties who have an interest to maintain order, to maintain stability in our region, they should return to the spirit that we have agreed upon and that we have in possession,” Yudhoyono said.

Aquino, for his part, said as true brothers, resolving a concern between them in an amicable manner, as demonstrated in the agreement they reached on EEZs, must be celebrated.

“This, I believe, serves as an important reminder of what can be achieved when parties come to the table with a sincere commitment to engage in meaningful dialogue, and uphold the rule of law,” Aquino said.

The Philippines is locked in a territorial dispute with China along with Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, who was also here for a working visit and to attend the WEF, directly slammed China’s aggressive behavior in the South China Sea, particularly the Paracel Islands.

Tensions have escalated dramatically over the past three weeks after China moved a huge deep-sea oil rig to the area and started drilling for energy resources, sparking anti-Chinese riots in Vietnam.

Aquino thanked Indonesia and Yudhoyono for supporting the Philippines’ peace process and security, including in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

No collective stand yet

The ASEAN, however, is not seen as ready to take a collective stand on the South China Sea disputes, having a diverse membership with different relations to major players involved in the sea row, according to a WEF official.

Espen Barth Eide, managing director and member of the managing board of the WEF, said ASEAN’s focus is on developing the ASEAN economic community by the end of 2015 and regional integration.

Although the regional grouping is not supposed to be a defense alliance, Eide said the best thing ASEAN can do is to push for the Code of Conduct in the region.

Eide recalled the 2010 meeting of defense ministers of ASEAN countries where there was little exchange on security-related issues.

“It’s in the interest of every single member state of ASEAN to continue the economic integration process that will eventually lead to more cooperation as well,” Eide said.

“But I don’t think that ASEAN is ready to take a collective stand because you have a very diverse membership with different relations to major players.”

The WEF called on nations involved in conflict to avoid any kind of stimulation of nationalist sentiment following violent actions of angry citizens of countries locked in disputes.

Eide said the issue of dominance and the growing tensions in the region raised serious concern and could undermine the good things going on in the region, particularly economic growth.

“So our position is to call for restraint from everyone to avoid disputes to turn into serious conflict, and that means to try to avoid any kind of stimulation of nationalist sentiment on any side,” Eide said.

“We are not taking a position on the subject itself as you heard. We do appeal for calm and for responsibility from everyone not to allow this to escalate into uncontrollable,” he added.

Eide noted the response against Chinese factories in Vietnam and Japanese businesses in China over territorial disputes in the South China Sea and the Senkaku Islands.

“I think for the specific issue of the South China Sea there are sort of significant disagreements and disputes on the issues of what belongs to whom, so I think what is needed is to get some agreement on the Code of Conduct for behavior so even if the states disagree on the final outcome that they at least agree on how to avoid escalation of situation,” Eide said.

Do not rely

Former senator and defense chief Orlando Mercado said the Philippines should not depend too much on the US for its external defense, saying Washington would only act to protect its interests.

Mercado said the Philippines should instead undertake military reforms to address its security challenges.

“You have to be very careful. You can’t rely on one power to come to your succor and defend you,” Mercado said in a speech delivered at the Development Academy of the Philippines.

“The US will not fire a single bullet unless it is within their interest to do so,” he added.

Mercado said the Philippines’ move to renew its alliance with the US is a “good tactical move.” He, however, said the Philippines could not let other nations secure its sovereignty.

“We cannot abdicate our role and function of defending the sovereignty of this nation. We cannot abdicate that function and give it to another country,” Mercado said.

The former senator said he was hoping that the removal of US bases in the Philippines in 1991 would make Filipinos think about long-term strategies.

“But we missed out on that and now, we are forced to do so. Let’s not allow this crisis to go to waste, let us develop our own mechanisms,” he said.

Last month, the Philippines and the US signed the Enhanced Defense Cooperation Agreement, which allows American troops to set up facilities in military bases in the country.

The deal was signed amid China’s aggressive efforts to assert its territorial claims in the West Philippine Sea (South China Sea), the subject of a long-standing dispute in the region.

The US has said that it won’t side with any country involved in the territorial row but is supportive of moves to resolve the issue through international arbitration.

Mercado said it is difficult, if not impossible, to resolve the West Philippine Sea tussle or even match the capabilities of China’s armed forces.

“To effectively address our security challenges, we must first turn our weaknesses into strengths. We cannot respond by simply obtaining modern military equipment, weaponry and facilities,” he said. “What we need is first, to reform our armed forces.”

Gearing up

The Department of National Defense (DND), on the other hand, is moving to equip the Philippine Navy with a multimillion-peso sophisticated land-based radar system to detect surface activities within the country’s maritime and air territorial domain.

Defense Undersecretary Eduardo Batac, chairman of the Defense Special Bids and Awards Committee 2, in a supplemental bulletin notified the bidders for the Navy’s Coast Watch System (CWS) Lot-1 project amounting to P877 million, that this month’s scheduled submission and opening of bids has been rescheduled to next month.

Aside from the advance radar systems, the DND is also set to acquire boats, firearms and ammunition, oil takedown equipment and night vision devices to complete the CWS project worth P979 million.

Once the CWS project is completed and all the instruments acquired and installed, this would give the Navy real-time monitoring of the country’s airspace and its territorial waters in Palawan, northern Luzon, Mindoro and Mindanao.

With the shelving of the country’s external defense to address internal security threats, the Armed Forces of the Philippines was left to guess what is happening within the country’s airspace as well as in its maritime domain.

At present, the Navy and the Philippine Air Force are mainly relying on their limited naval and air assets in patrolling the country’s skies and maritime territories, especially in Palawan and Zambales, amid the mounting tension in the West Philippine Sea.

Tension has been increasing in the already troubled region due to China’s aggressiveness in enforcing its maritime claim to almost the entire South China Sea, including the territorial waters of the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei.

While it has yet to fully monitor incursions of Chinese ships in the West Philippine Sea, domain awareness monitoring at the country’s backdoor in Mindanao is also poor due to the lack of radar monitoring equipment. – With Pia Lee-Brago, Alexis Romero, Jaime Laude