Indonesia gov't assures Malaysians' safety in Indonesia

The Indonesian government will ensure Malaysians' safety in the republic, while strengthening security at the Malaysian Embassy and the ambassador 's residence in Indonesia, said Indonesian Ambassador to Malaysia Dai Bachiar on Friday.

The Indonesian ambassador told a press conference here on Friday that only very few Indonesians had asked for Malaysians to be "swept away" from Indonesia.

Should such incident take place, the Indonesian authorities would protect the safety of Malaysians and other foreigners, stressed Dai Bachiar, adding that actions would be taken against the irresponsible quarters.

He also said that the Indonesian police had beefed up surveillance and deployed more personnels to ensure the security of the Malaysian Embassy.

If there are any demonstrations in future, the police would be able to hold the situation under control, said Dai Bachiar.

Meanwhile, Dai Bachiar said that both Malaysian and Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministers had agreed to meet on Sept. 6 in the state of Sabah, East Malaysia, to discuss issues pertaining to marine border.

"We hope that disputes between the two countries can be solved at that time," said Dai Bachiar.

Dai Bachiar added that Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono already had his own formula to deal with the foreign relations between Malaysia and Indonesia.

Local media reported that a group of Indonesians protested in front of the Malaysian Embassy in Jakarta on Monday. While human faeces was thrown into the compound of the embassy, a Malaysian flag was also stomped and smeared with faeces in front of the building.

The incident followed the arrest of three Indonesian enforcement officers alleged of trespassing the Malaysian waters recently.

The colleagues of the three Indonesian officers had earlier arrested seven Malaysian fishermen whom they claimed had encroached into the Indonesian waters.

Malaysian Foreign Affairs Minister Anifah Aman has strongly condemned such irresponsible actions of the quarters in Indonesia, hoping that the Indonesian government will take actions against them.

Source:Xinhua