April 17, 2026 | 08:16 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia has responded to reports of a US military breach of the country's territorial waters and airspace. Without explicitly confirming that there have been 18 instances of territorial violations, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Yvonne Mewengkang said the Indonesian military (TNI) is authorized to handle such incidents.
"TNI has its own handling mechanism. If I'm not mistaken, there have been specific reports about this, and actions have been taken," Yvonne said in a press conference broadcast on the ministry's YouTube channel on Thursday, April 16, 2026.
Yvonne emphasized that a territorial breach by a foreign military falls under TNI's authority, but said all decisions must prioritize national interests and the sovereignty of Indonesian airspace.
"We must emphasize the importance of prioritizing our continued national interests, and in this context, the sovereignty of our airspace," she said.
The US military breach of Indonesia's airspace came to light after news agency Reuters reported that the United States had published a report that the US had violated Indonesian "territorial waters and airspace" 18 times without any intention to heed warning from Jakarta.
In a report released on April 14, 2026, Reuters revealed that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had warned the Ministry of Defense about the US military violations. The letter was delivered before Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin visited the United States on April 13, 2026.
In response, Yvonne confirmed that the overflight proposal by the US is still being discussed internally within the Indonesian government.
"And we are still carefully reviewing the mechanism, regulation, and various details while placing our national interests and the sovereignty of our airspace as a top priority," she said.
Brigadier General Rico Ricardo Sirait, the head of the Information Bureau of the Ministry of Defense, has not responded to requests for confirmation regarding the violations by the US military and the letter penned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
In a previous statement, Rico stated that the government is carefully reviewing the subjects of the US cooperation.
Rico also claimed that Indonesia has made some significant adjustments to the proposal. "The document is also non-binding and does not automatically apply, and it still requires further discussion through the applicable national technical mechanisms and procedures," he said on Tuesday, April 14, 2026.
Read: Ministry Affirms US Airspace Request Still Under Review
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