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Indonesia to launch counter-terrorist exercise in Malacca Strait

(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-12-19 13:55

JAKARTA -- Indonesia will establish a counter-terrorist exercise on December 19-22 in the Malacca Strait as a part of the army-police joint exercise in overcoming terrorist threats on land, air and in the sea, the national Antara News Agency reported on Friday.

Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Widodo AS said that the exercise to be done in the Malacca Strait was a form of care Indonesia would show as a littoral country on the security of the world's busiest waterway.

"Security in the Malacca Strait is very important not only for Singapore and Malaysia but also Indonesia as one of the littoral countries especially with regard to piracy threats," he said.

The exercise in the Malacca Strait is expected to involve around 10,000 personnel from the Riau police command, the Bukit Barisan I Military Command, the West Fleet and the Air Forces Operations Command I (Koopsau), said the commander of the Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI), General Djoko Santoso.

"According to the scenario, a tanker from a certain country is being pirated in the Malacca Strait. To deal with it, an airplane from the Koopsau will first conduct an observation and the result of which will be given to the Riau regional police command and the Bukit Barisan Military Command as well as the Western Naval Fleet to be followed up," he said.

After the situation is clear, Djoko said, a special force will be sent to conduct release and evacuation operations.