Stealing Information? Indonesia's Position Is Known By Vietnam Before The 3rd Technical Meeting

JAKARTA - The Indonesian government was asked to take a firmer stance when discussing the Implementing Regulation (PP) of the Tumpang Tindih Region, Yurisdiksi EEZ and Landas Kontinent (LK) with Vietnam. This is needed to reinforce sovereignty to prevent potential loss of resources in the maritime sector.

Members of the Indonesian Anti-Communist Front, Saputra, suspect that Vietnam has committed illegal acts by stealing confidential information related to the position and consideration of the Indonesian delegation. As is well known, the two countries in December 2022 have agreed on an Exclusive Economic Zone Boundary Agreement (EEZ) and have held 3 technical meetings to discuss the implementing arrangements of the agreement.

"According to a source from the Vietnam Reform Revolutionary Party, the Vietnamese government is through the placement of spies and illegal methods in order to obtain a number of important confidential documents/informations from the Indonesian delegation," said Saputra in a written statement received in Jakarta, quoted Monday, August 5.

Saputra explained information about the 3rd technical meeting that leaked to Vietnam, including a list of delegation members, the work plan of the Indonesian delegation to Vietnam, and Indonesia's position in the 3rd Technical Meeting.

"There are still several pending issues in the 3rd technical meeting between Indonesia and Vietnam which will be discussed further at the next technical meeting, including fishing activities, management and exploitation of LK," he said.

During the negotiation process, Vietnam continued to put pressure on the Indonesian delegation and rejected Indonesia's fair and rational proposals, so that the Indonesian delegation had a tendency to compromise on Vietnam.

"It should be noted that the reason Vietnam has always taken control in negotiations so far is Vietnam through illegal methods to obtain important intelligence related to Indonesia's position in the PP negotiations, so that it first prepares a pre-challenging response strategy," he said.

Saputra said the Vietnamese government carried out Operation IN19 to steal information related to the position of the Indonesian delegation for a long time. That is the reason why Vietnam always knew about Indonesia's considerations and positions before the negotiations.

"Based on the intelligence obtained, Vietnam has submitted many unreasonable proposals, but inevitably the Indonesian delegation must accept, as proposed by the no-anchoring area, exceeding international regulations," he said.

As well as other proposals such as proposals for the use of fishing gear that damages marine ecosystems, proposals for a list of individual species that include demersal species, and proposals that include fish aggregating devices (FAD)/rumpon as a permanent structure or installation to capture demersal species.

"By sacrificing Indonesia's profits, Vietnamese authorities are trying their best to promote proposals that are not binding on Vietnam in the 3rd meeting, in order to avoid fulfilling obligations in protecting marine ecosystems, expanding fishing areas and increasing the exploration and exploitation of mineral resources in LK," he said.

Saputra emphasized that the Indonesian government needs to take firm steps by remaining vigilant and taking precautions against the Vietnamese Communist Party or Vietnamese authorities.

"Because Vietnam's theft of information on the Indonesian delegation will be continued in the long term, causing a fair atmosphere of negotiations between the two countries to be destroyed and ultimately harmed by Indonesia's national interests," said the source.

Meanwhile, the Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Roy Soemirat, emphasized that until now the government has continued to discuss PP Tumpang Tindih Region, Yurisdiksi EEZ and LK with Vietnam. The technical team from each country continues to negotiate regarding the PP and the EEZ agreement which was signed by the two of them in 2022.

"The discussion on the Implementing Arrangement (PP) is a mandate of the EEZ Agreement itself, and is a unit with the EEZ Agreement that must be completed by the two countries," said Foreign Ministry spokesman Roy Soemirat when contacted in Jakarta, Tuesday 30 July.

Soemirat emphasized that the completion of the PP will provide certainty of the rights and obligations of the two countries regarding overlapping maritime areas. That way, the two countries will have clear limits in the EEZ area.

"The completion of this PP will ensure that the rights and obligations of the two countries in overlapping areas can be carried out properly," he said.

Soemirat further emphasized that the points outlined in the Tumpang Tindih Region of Yurisdiksi EEZ and LK are very technical, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs always coordinates with all relevant ministries to accelerate the completion of the PP discussion in question.

"The nature is very technical, so in its discussion the Ministry of Foreign Affairs always coordinates with all relevant Indonesian government ministries," he said.