http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/tni-chief-clarifies/1074916.html
TNI chief clarifies apology By Nicholas Fang POSTED: 17 Apr 2014 20:36 Some 48 hours after his interview with Channel NewsAsia aired on Tuesday, the head of the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) has clarified an apology he made during the interview. General Moeldoko said that he was expressing his regret that the naming decision was final and would not be changed. a.. PHOTOS b.. VIDEOS Indonesian Armed Forces chief General Moeldoko (L) speaking to Channel NewsAsia senior Southeast Asia correspondent Sujadi Siswo (back to camera). (Photo: Channel NewsAsia) a.. Enlarge b.. Caption SINGAPORE: Some 48 hours after his interview with Channel NewsAsia aired on Tuesday, the head of the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) has clarified an apology he made during the interview. General Moeldoko said on Thursday that he had not apologised to the Singapore government for the naming of a warship after two Indonesian marines who bombed MacDonald House in Singapore in 1965. Instead, he clarified that he was expressing his regret that the naming decision was final and would not be changed. On Tuesday night, Channel NewsAsia aired an exclusive interview with General Moeldoko, during which he touched on the relations between Singapore and Indonesia, among other issues. He was asked by Channel NewsAsia senior Southeast Asia correspondent Sujadi Siswo about the decision to name a warship Usman Harun after the two Indonesian marines, and the ties between the two countries. "Once again I apologise. We have no ill intent whatsoever to stir emotions. Not at all. Second, relations between the two countries are on the mend. There've been communications among leaders. Singapore's Chief of Defence and I have spoken," General Moeldoko had said. Following the airing of the interview, General Moeldoko posted a link to the Channel NewsAsia story on his own Facebook page. There was, however, a mixed reaction. He was questioned by some Indonesians as to why he had apologised. These posts have since been removed from General Moeldoko's Facebook page. On Wednesday, Singapore's Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen welcomed General Moeldoko's comments, and said the Singapore Armed Forces will resume bilateral cooperation with the TNI. Earlier Thursday, General Moeldoko spoke to Indonesian media at the President's Office in Jakarta before a Cabinet session to clarify his views. He said that the apology had been for the fact that the decision to name the ship was final and would not be changed. The head of TNI's public affairs had also written to Channel NewsAsia, citing the right of reply to clarify the comments by the TNI chief so that there would be "no misinterpretation and misperception." Echoing General Moeldoko's comments to the Indonesian media, the public affairs head said that "the TNI Commander was expressing his regrets that the naming was final and would not change." The letter was copied to the chiefs of staff of the Indonesian Army, Navy, Air Force, and the head of TNI Intelligence. - CNA/ac ++++++ http://www.waspada.co.id/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=322292:tni-tak-pernah-mintaa-maaf-pada-singapura&catid=77:fokuredaksi&Itemid=131 Thursday, 17 April 2014 18:05 TNI tak pernah mintaa maaf pada Singapura Warta WASPADA ONLINE (tempo.co) JAKARTA - Polemik kapal militer TNI Usman Harun mencuat kembali setelah munculnya pemberitaan media asing yang menyataakn Panglima TNI Jenderal Moeldoko meminta maaf atas penamaan KRI Usman Harun. Namun pihak Mabes TNI ketika dikonfirmasi awak media melalui Kepala Pusat Penerangan (Kapuspen) Mabes TNI Mayor Jenderal M Fuad Basya secara tegas membantahnya. Berikut isi pernyatan Panglima TNI Jenderal Moledoko kepada Channel News Asia (CNA) ketika diwawancara: "Saya pikir itu sebuah keputusan kami bahwa Usman Harun tetap penamaan itu dan sekali lagi mohon maaf bahwa apa yang telah kami pikirkan tidak sama sekali berkaitan dengan membangun emosi kembali, tidak. Yang kedua negara telah ada recovery pendekatan-pendekatan antara pimpinan, antar leader, antara saya dengan Panglima SAF dan kondisi sekarang sudah menuju ke low intensity emosi saya kira ini harus dijaga, tidak perlu lagi dari rekan rekan dari Singapura melakukan hal-hal yang tidak produktif, kami juga seperti itu saya kira kita pada posisi yang saling menjaga, saling menghormati dan saling percaya." Namun saat ditemui awak media, Panglima TNI Jenderal Moeldoko menegaskan tidak pernah menyampaikan permintaan maaf kepada Singapura atas penamaan KRI Usman-Harun. "Tidak ada itu mohon maaf. Maksudnya mohon maaf, penamaan (KRI-red) Usman-Harun adalah keputusan kami yang final," kata Jenderal Moeldoko kepada wartawan di Kantor Presiden Jakarta, hari ini. Panglima TNI menegaskan, penamaan Usman-Harun untuk Kapal Perang RI merupakan keputusan yang tidak bisa diubah. Anggota Komisi I DPR Ahmad Muzani mengaku heran jika tiba-tiba polemik tersebut kembali muncul akibat adanya permintaan maaf dari Panglima TNI Jenderal Moeldoko dalam sebuah wawancara di media asing. "Ini kan ibarat membangunkan orang tidur di siang bolong," ujar Muzani ketika berbincang dengan wartawan melalui sambungan telepon, hari ini. Menurutnya, penamaan setiap alat utama sistem persenjataan TNI baik di darat, laut maupun udara adalah sepenuhnya hak Indonesia. "Nama-nama itu kan biasanya menggunakan nama pulau, gunung dan pahlawan nasional," tukasnya. Dia menambahkan, alasan penamaan kapal militer TNI dengan Usman Harun adalah untuk membangkitkan semangat kepahlawanan para prajurit TNI dalam membela bangsa. " Karena dua prajurit itu mengorbankan jiwa raganya untuk nusa dan bangsa. Jadi yang harus kita cermati kebijakan negara yang tidak bisa diukur hari itu dan sekarang," ucapnya. Sementara itu mengenai permintaan maaf, pihaknya akan memanggil Panglima TNI dalam kesempatan rapat kerja (raker). "Saya kira memang itu harus dijelaskan," ucapnya. Polemik KRI Usman Harun kembali mencuat setelah adanya permintaan dari Panglima TNI Jenderal Moledoko dalam sebuah wawancara dengan media Singapura, Channel News Asia. â€Sekali lagi saya minta maaf. Kami tidak punya niat buruk apapun untuk membangkitkan emosi. Tidak sama sekali,†kata Jenderal Moeldoko, yang dipublikasikan media itu Selasa lalu. Permintaan maaf ini kemudian disambut Pemerintah Singapura sebagai permintaan maaf dari petinggi militer Indonesia atas penamaan kapal perang Indonesia tersebut. Sebelumnya, Pemerintah Singapura protes terhadap penamaan KRI Usman Harun. Pihak Singapura berpendapat Usman Harun merupakan tokoh yang ditangkap dan dihukum gantung oleh pemerintah Singapura atas tuduhan melakukan pengeboman di sekitar MacDonald House di Orchard Road, Singapura pada 10 Maret 1965. Adapun nama Usman Harun, merupakan gabungan dari nama dua marinir Indonesia, yaitu Usman Janatin dan Harun Said yang dianggap terlibat pemboman di sebuah bangunan di Orchard Road pada tahun 1965. Dua marinir Indonesia itu, telah dieksekusi dengan hukuman gantung di Singapura, karena dianggap bersalah dalam pemboman tersebut. Jenazah keduanya telah dimakamkan di Taman Makam Pahlawan (TMP) Kalibata, Jakarta Selatan +++++ http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304626304579505251360867072 Singapore Accepts Indonesian Apology for Ship's Name Bilateral Cooperation Between The Two Militaries to Resume By Chun Han Wong connect April 16, 2014 9:20 a.m. ET Singapore on Wednesday accepted an apology from Indonesia's military chief for naming a warship after two marines behind a deadly 1960s bombing in the city-state, signaling a potential mending of frayed bilateral ties. Gen. Moeldoko's conciliatory comments—made in an interview aired Tuesday by a Singaporean broadcaster—came amid a monthslong spat that had prompted Singapore to suspend inter-military relations with its far-larger Southeast Asian neighbor. In a brief statement, Singapore Defense Minister Ng Eng Hen welcomed the apology as "a constructive gesture" and said the city-state's armed forces would "reciprocate Gen. Moeldoko's positive intentions by resuming bilateral cooperation and activities with the [Indonesian military]." Bilateral relations had soured in February after the Indonesian navy said it would name a frigate in honor of Indonesian marines Usman Haji Mohamed Ali and Harun Said. The two were convicted and executed in Singapore for killing three people and injuring 33 others in the March 1965 bombing of MacDonald House, a bank building in the Orchard Road shopping district. The attack was the deadliest of 37 bombings that rattled Singapore starting in 1963, when Indonesia's then-president Sukarno led an armed confrontation in opposition to the newly-formed Federation of Malaysia, which then included Singapore. The conflict ended in 1966, a year after Singapore left Malaysia to become an independent nation. Singaporean leaders say naming the ship Usman Harun revives painful memories of the undeclared low-level war, comprised of a series of border skirmishes and bomb attacks. Gen. Moeldoko, in the interview with Singapore's state-owned Channel NewsAsia, said: "Once again I apologize. We have no ill intent whatsoever to stir emotions…there are sensitivities that we did not foresee and it escalated." The general also expressed hope that bilateral defense ties would strengthen in future, but said the Indonesian navy wouldn't reverse its move to name the ship the Usman Harun, a decision that was made in December 2012. When the naming of Usman Harun was announced, Singaporean leaders initially expressed dismay through public statements and pressed Jakarta to reconsider the move. Indonesian officials, however, said they were within their rights to honor national heroes, even as they assured Singapore that no malice was intended. Singapore then scrapped a series of planned inter-military activities, and said it would ban the Usman Harun from its ports and naval bases. Mr. Ng on Wednesday didn't indicate if this ban has been lifted. Most recently, the city-state withdrew its delegation from an international defense meeting held in Jakarta in March, after two Indonesian men at the event were seen dressed in uniform as Messrs. Usman and Harun. Mr. Ng's response on Wednesday, however, paved the way for warmer defense relations—a development welcomed by Jakarta. Gen. Moeldoko "is hoping to look forward for greater cooperation," said Maj. Gen. Fuad Basya, a spokesman for the Indonesian armed forces. "We want good relationship with all countries. Zero enemies, a thousand friends." The latest row over the marines—who carried out the bombing while disguised as civilians—had revived a spat that officials from both sides had considered settled in the early 1970s. The two marines were hanged in Singapore in 1968, despite a clemency plea from then Indonesian president Suharto. That sparked a wave of anti-Singapore protests in Jakarta, where the two men were honored as national heroes and given ceremonial burials. Bilateral ties remained frosty until 1973, when then prime minister Lee Kuan Yew visited the marines' graves—a conciliatory move that Singaporean leaders say closed the matter. Relations have since improved between the two Southeast Asian neighbors and major trade partners, although disputes have flared from time to time over issues such as cross-border air pollution and Indonesia's ban on sand exports to Singapore. —Andreas Ismar in Jakarta contributed to this article. Write to Chun Han Wong at [email protected]
