KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has condemned, in the strongest terms, the incursion and detention of its citizens by Indonesian security forces on Dec 11.
A protest note on the incident has been sent to Jakarta through the Indonesian embassy here.
Foreign Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah yesterday confirmed with the New Sunday Times that a protest note on the incident was sent to Jakarta on Friday evening.
The note, in part, states that Kuala Lumpur “strongly protests this action and deems the encroachment, unlawful detention and abuse of Malaysian citizens as a violation of Malaysia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as human rights principles”.
Malaysia is also demanding that “stern action be taken against the parties involved”.
The government is asking for Jakarta’s assurance that there be no recurrence.
A report sighted by the NSU suggests that this was not the first time this had happened, but that it was never reported in the past.
A spokesman from the office of Army Chief General Datuk Seri Ahmad Hasbullah Mohd Nawawi acknowledged the incident, but said the general did not want to comment on the matter “to avoid further escalation”.
“The chief said the incident was over and should end there,” the spokesman said.
The NSU spoke to a senior officer with the Indonesian embassy and a senior ranking personnel with the Indonesian consulate-general in Kuching but they were non-committal when asked to comment on the incident and the protest note. Additional reporting by Tasnim Lokman and Teh Athira Yusof