Prabowo warns ‘natural resource theft, smuggling’ threaten Indonesian sovereignty

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto on Monday warned that theft of the country’s natural resources and smuggling posed a “threat” to the sovereignty of the Southeast Asian nation.

“Natural resource theft and smuggling are a threat to our sovereignty. Narcotics smuggling threatens our survival,” Prabowo, himself a former general, told soldiers and officers at Cilangkap headquarters in East Jakarta as the Indonesian military marked its 81st anniversary.

He said threats were “no longer limited to physical attacks,” Jakarta Globe reported, warning that Indonesia was also “under attack” from rampant misinformation aimed at “harming the economy.”

“Our armed forces must continue to adapt (to these changes). Learn, learn, and learn. Practice, practice, and practice. We must make use of this peacetime to prepare against threats, even the worst ones,” he told the soldiers as Indonesia’s Defense Ministry considers spending $10.4 billion this year, mostly on military modernization.

Prabowo said Indonesia “love(s) peace.”

“We respect all countries and powers. We don’t want to be disturbed. We want to protect our people, land, and wealth to make our citizens prosper,” he said.

The former defense minister has been “seeking tighter control of the country’s economy following reports that mineral-rich Indonesia had lost a total of $908 billion from decades of fraudulent trade practices,” according to the report.