(Manisha Mahar, Intern Journalist); Indonesia has rejected a US proposal seeking permission to land and refuel its P-8 Poseidon marine surveillance vessels. This information was given by senior officials of the Indonesian government on Tuesday.
Officials said US officials made this demand several times in front of Indonesia’s defense and foreign ministers in July and August, with high-level access. However, President Joko Widodo rejected the demand.
Representatives of the US Embassy in Jakarta, the US State Department Press Office and the President of Indonesia, and the Minister of Defense did not comment on this. Representatives of the US Department of Defense and Indonesia’s Defense Minister Retno Marsudi refused to say anything about this.
Officials said that the Indonesian government was surprised by the proposal that came due to increased tension between the US and China for its influence in Southeast Asia. Indonesia has been following a neutral foreign policy for a long time. Indonesia has never allowed foreign armies to carry out activities. Explain that the US P-8 aircraft plays an important role in monitoring China’s military activities in the South China Sea. China asserts its claim on the region.
However, Indonesia is not a formal contender on this strategically important waterway but considers a portion of the South China Sea to be it’s own. It has regularly flown Chinese Coast Guard ships and fishing boats from an area that Beijing historically describes as its own. But at the same time economic and investment linkages between Indonesia and China have increased. In such a situation, he does not want to take anyone’s side in this dispute and is worried about the escalation between the two global forces and the militarization of the South China Sea.
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