Indonesia army chief apologises over naming of warship after bombers

Indonesian army chief General Moeldoko has apologised over the naming of its warship KRI Usman-Harun.

The naming of the warship after two Indonesian marines who bombed Singapore’s Macdonald House in 1965 during the Indonesian confrontation — which killed three and injured 33 — caused a dent in the diplomatic relations between the two countries in February.

Speaking to Channel NewsAsia, General Moeldoko said that the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) did not intend any malice from such an act and had not foreseen the controversy it had ignited. The general’s admission and apology represents the clearest one to date by the TNI.

General Moeldoko, however, added that the name Usman-Harun will not be changed since the decision to name the ship in December 2012 went through a lengthy process.

Taking the episode as a learning process, General Moeldoko is confident in restoring strong bilateral ties between Indonesia and Singapore.

Photo: AFP / Adek Berry

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