KUALA LUMPUR: The recent incident involving a PETRONAS vessel that was surrounded and driven away by a group of fishing boats near Ketapang, Madura Island in Indonesia has been resolved amicably.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the Malaysian government takes the matter seriously, but emphasised that the incident had not escalated to a level that required it to be raised with Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, as both countries maintain strong diplomatic channels to address such issues.
"The incident involving the PETRONAS vessel has not reached the stage where we need to contact President Prabowo. Generally, our relations with Indonesia remain good and any border issues are resolved amicably as friends," he said.
"As for encroachment cases involving fishermen from either Malaysia or Indonesia, we always try to settle them diplomatically," he said in the Dewan Rakyat on Thursday (Oct 23) in response to a question from Datuk Tuan Ibrahim Tuan Man (PN-Kubang Kerian) who sought clarification on the government's stance regarding border issues following the incident. – Bernama
