TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian government has issued an official apology and regrets the incident where Malaysian residents were detained by Indonesian Army (TNI) personnel at the Kalimantan border in Sarawak.

Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministry Spokesman Arrmanatha Nasir said that the TNI soldiers suspected the Malaysians of conducting illegal logging, however, he maintained that there is a specific bilateral mechanism to handle such issue.

“Indonesian and Malaysia have agreed upon a bilateral mechanism that discusses issues that happen in border areas, this is discussed in the General Border Committee (GBC) forum led by both nation’s Defense Ministry’s,” said Arrmanatha on Monday, December 24.

Meanwhile, Malaysia’s Foreign Affairs Deputy Minister Datuk Marzuki Yahya appreciated the Indonesian government’s move which responsively reacted to Malaysia’s official protest upon the incident. The Malaysian nationals were later released in Kuching which was represented by the Indonesian Consulate General in Kuching and the Malaysian third Brigade Commander from the Perinssen Camp.

Earlier reports by the New Sunday Times explained that there were five Malaysians from Sarawak who were ambushed by two TNI soldiers who supposedly entered the Malaysian territory at the Wong Rangkai forest, 400-meters off of the Kalimantan-Serian border in December 11.

EKA YUDHA SAPUTRA