Jakarta 'using sand ban to put pressure on Singapore'

The Straits Times, February 17, 2007

By Salim Osman, INDONESIA CORRESPONDENT

JAKARTA - INDONESIA'S recent ban on land sand exports was a means by which it could apply pressure on Singapore to sign an extradition treaty, said a top Foreign Ministry official here.

Mr Primo Alui Joelianto, the ministry's director-general for Asia, the Pacific and Africa, was reported in the Jakarta Post yesterday as saying that the ban was 'a key way of placing more pressure on the city-state to move faster towards signing an extradition treaty and resolving the countries' border spats'.

Indonesia, he said, had become 'very impatient' with the pace of negotiations on concluding agreements on extradition and defence.

'Yes, we want Singapore to understand that we need each other as neighbours,' he said. 'Besides concern about rising environmental deterioration...the ban also aims to push them (to resolve differences) in extradition and some border negotiations.'

Mr Primo is the second official in recent days to link the sand export ban to the extradition talks.

Vice-Admiral Djoko Sumaryono, head of Indonesian's Maritime Security Coordinating Board, was the first to openly connect the decision to 'Singapore's indecisiveness' in resolving border and extradition issues.

When the sand ban was announced last month, Jakarta cited only a general need to protect its environment and maritime borders.

In response to Vice-Admiral Djoko's comments, Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo has said that a linkage of the sand ban with border talks and extradition treaty negotiations would be unfortunate and counter-productive.

'Our border limitation talks are complicated enough, and, if there's an additional linkage, it will only make the talks more difficult,' Mr Yeo said in Parliament.

Singapore has maintained it does not object to signing the extradition treaty but that it will take time to work out.

Meanwhile, the Antara news agency reported yesterday that the Riau Islands police chief said smugglers were spotted on Thursday transporting 10 pontoons of sand to Singapore.

Brigadier-General Sutarman claimed the pontoons were near the site of some reclamation works in Singapore territory.