KDB Waspada and KDB Pejuang will be Delivered to Indonesia in April

27 Februari 2011

Waspada class patrol ship (photo : cari)

Indonesia to get Brunei patrol ships

BRUNEI plans to grant Indonesia patrol vessels KDB Waspada and KDB Pejuang for military training as part of efforts to promote the expansion of defence ties.

Deputy Minister of Defence Dato Paduka Hj Mustappa Hj Sirat said yesterday that various programmes on Brunei-Indonesia defence ties would be carried out.

"KDB Waspada and KDB Pejuang are still in operation, possibly in April ...these will be delivered to Indonesia to be used as (military) training vessel for the Indonesian Navy (TNI AL)," Dato Paduka Hj Mustappa told The Brunei Times prior to joining a morning walk with His Majesty the Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam and Indonesia President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono at the Tasek Lama Recreational Park.

Waspada class patrol ship (image : freespace)

Maintenance checks and operation trainings need to be done before the vessels are handed over to Indonesia, he said.

His Majesty's Government and Indonesia signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Defence Cooperation on April 10, 2003. The MoU was recently ratified by Indonesia's parliament.

"There will be a joint committee to discuss how to further expand the defence cooperation between the two," he said.

Brunei and Indonesia are also planning to carry out joint training for its military forces as well as their special forces.

Moreover, there is a plan to send Brunei's military personnel to study at the Defence University in Indonesia this year.

Asked how many military personnel Brunei is expected to send, Dato Paduka Hj Mustappa said, "We need to look at their qualifications.

"Indonesia's Vice Minister of Defence Lieutenant General TNI (Rtd) Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin said five slots would be open for Bruneians to pursue a degree at Indonesia's Defence University. "In conclusion, this year we will take the opportunity to implement various cooperation that we need to carry out," Sjafrie said.

Meanwhile, number of programmes that both parties have implemented are exchange visits of top-notch military officers as well as attending courses at the National Resilience Institute (Lemhanas) in Jakarta, and Brunei's Joint Staff Course and Executive Development Programme.

He went on to say that this year the Royal Brunei Armed Forces (RBAF) will be celebrating its 50th anniversary. Part of activities lined up for the celebrations are the Brunei International Defence Exhibition (BRIDEX), the Brunei International Tattoo and the Fleet Review.

Indonesia's Sjafrie said President Yudhoyono would instruct the TNI Army Chief to actively participate in the Golden Jubilee of the RBAF and order the Indonesia Minister of Defense to take part in BRIDEX.

(The Brunei Times)