Defence and Security

Batam, VOI News - The chief of the Tanjungpinang main naval base, Commodore SM Dorojatun, has confirmed units under his command had been alerted to a terror threat in the Malacca Strait, one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. He said the Singapore Navy had recently issued a warning that a terror group was planning to attack tankers passing through the Malacca Strait. 

Jakarta, VOI News - Customs and excise officers have arrested another Indian national for trying to smuggle drugs into the country at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, an official said Friday. Gatot Sugeng Wibowo, head of the customs and excise office for prosecution, said that the suspect, identified as S.A (22), was arrested after officers found 7.85 kilograms of ketamine inside his luggage, valued at Rp 7.8 billion (US$840,000). Gatot said the suspect arrived on a Singapore Airlines flight from Singapore, from where he had arrived on a Silk Air flight from India, and was arrested at Thursday morning.

VOI News - Defence Minister Purnomo Yusgiantoro said on Thursday that Indonesia would step up security in the Malacca Strait, one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, after the Singapore Navy and the city-state’s merchant shipping association warned of a credible threat on oil tankers in the area. Malaysia responded likewise to the warning and its Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency said the coast guard had stepped up security.

Kupang, VOI News - A phony phone call allowed scores of illegal immigrants from Afghanistan and Turkey to walk away from police detention on a small island in eastern Indonesia, and the fugitives are believed to be already in Australia, police said on Friday. The 43 immigrants were stranded on Sabu Island’s Mania Beach in East Nusa Tenggara in January and have since been in local district police custody. 

Bitung, North Sulawesi, VOI News - Singaporean warship RSS Persistence arrived at Bitung seaport in North Sulawesi on Tuesday for a visit aimed at enhancing ties between the navies of Singapore and Indonesia. During the tour of friendship, the warship commander, Lt. Col. Lee Soon Tat, handed over 33 engine parts to Bitung naval base commander Commodore Willem Ramapangilei. “The visit of RSS Persistence will give a boost to good relationship between the two nations,” Willem said.