National

Army Chief of Staff: Army Ready to be Sent to Ambalat
Wednesday, 09 March, 2005 | 10:40 WIB

“We must prepared for all possibilities, including the placement of troops in Ambalat,” Santoso told reporters after the 44th Anniversary of the Army’s Strategic Reserve Command (Kostrad) this morning, Tuesday (8/3).

According to Santoso, it is planned that in the near future, the Army will prepare all troops in case they are needed in Ambalat.
“The country’s very existence is under threat there, so we must be ready,” he added.

Even so, up to now no Army troops have yet been sent to Ambalat.
“We are still waiting for the President’s political decision. We have to respect this,” Santoso said.
Any tension between Indonesia and Malaysia regarding Malaysia’s claim towards Ambalat, according to Santoso, will not affect the military relations of both countries.
“There has no change in the military program for this year including the schedules joint troops training,” he added.

Rinaldi Dorasman