TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – The commander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces, General Andika Perkasa, acknowledged there was a communication error regarding the detention of weapons by Customs and Excise at Panjang Port, Bandar Lampung, on Friday. According to Endika, the weapons belong to the United States Army which will be used for joint training with TNI with Garuda Shield.
“One day the monkey was at the Panjang port of Lampung missBut this is not something that is illegal, that is what we are making clear,” Andika said at TNI Headquarters in East Jakarta, Sunday, July 24, 2022.
Earlier, Customs at Panjang Port, Lampung had reportedly sealed 1 container containing weapons which was not accompanied by import documents. The container is said to have been placed by PT Jetty Sq.
Andika said that her party had issued security clearance related to the container. According to him, it is their right over the personnel, materials and flights of foreign armies. It is similar to other powers that the Ministry of External Affairs has. diplomatic clearance and with the Ministry of Communications flight clearance,
He explained to remove security clearance When a military representative of a foreign country in Indonesia sends a diplomatic note to the TNI Commander to report as well as fill out the form Approval Approval for Indonesia Region (cat). This mechanism has been around for a long time.
As for the Lampung incident, Endica said, there was a communication error between the representatives of the foreign countries who wrote the letter and the entity processing the application. In fact, he said, this joint exercise was planned since last year.
Endika also said that they had issued a letter of approval to the United States military representative that they had confirmed to the United States military representative that the equipment was indeed the material they intended to bring to the Garuda Shield exercise.
Even for unscheduled content delivery, Endika said, they may be allowed to enter Indonesia as long as they are verified.
“So yesterday’s process miss Below, we will immediately confirm with the United States military representative at the Office of Defense Attaché, specifically the Office of Defense Cooperation, that it is clear,” he said.
Andika also ensured that all the weapons in custody are used for joint exercises. Altogether there are 11 helicopters including 4 Apache and 7 Blackhawk types, 4 firing units for Rocket System field artillery and 3 fire units for 105 caliber Cannon field artillery.
Then there are 41 land vehicles, from trucks to heavy equipment. In addition, there are still materials that have not been included in the Security Clearance Request List, namely 618 personal weapons. “Meanwhile, the number of US personnel involved is 1,125,” Endica said.
The detention of the weapons container at Lampung coincided with the arrival of the United States Chief of Staff, Mark A. Mille, to Indonesia. Milley’s arrival as Supreme Leader of the United States Military comes after 14 years of not making a working trip to Indonesia.
“The arrival of the Chief of Staff of the United States of America, General Mark A. Milley, is intended to establish military cooperation between the United States and Indonesia,” said a written statement from TNI, Sunday, July 24, 2022.
Mille arrived at TNI Headquarters in Silangkap, East Jakarta at 14.09 WIB. Miele who accompanied the United States Ambassador to Indonesia Sung Wai Kim was immediately called Endika in the Sudirman Building, opposite TNI Headquarters. Before welcoming Miley, Andika also informed about the incident in Lampung.
Palindo 2 Panjang’s deputy general manager of public relations, Frans Rahardian, confirmed in a separate location that the weapons in the container were not listed in the manifest of the ship carrying them.
“So the container containing weapons is not restricted, but the goods which are not included in the manifest of the ship such as passengers, baggage, equipment and others,” he said.
According to him, if there is no manifest in the weapons, there are many possibilities like re-administration or repatriation to their country of origin.
“So let me emphasize that these weapons are not banned, just there is no manifest. The items are currently being handled by TNI AD. With regards to the results, how are we still waiting for a quorum “
TNI will conduct joint exercise with Garuda Shield 2022 at Natuna Islands from August 1 to 14, 2022. It is said that 14 Allied forces will participate in this joint exercise. Apart from the US, military personnel from Britain, Canada, Australia, Japan to Singapore and Malaysia will also participate in this exercise.
