Just a little drive-by shooting that won't get any coverage in the US mainstream media.

What's going on?

U.S., Indonesian jets in standoff
By LELY T. DJUHARI, Associated Press
July 5, 2003

JAKARTA, Indonesia - In a tense encounter above the Java sea, U.S. fighter planes went into attack mode and locked their missiles on Indonesian warplanes deployed to intercept them, an Indonesian air force official said Friday.

Rear Air Marshal Wresnowiro said air force radar detected the F-18 Hornet planes maneuvering over Bawean Island off the northern coast of Java island on Thursday.

Two Indonesian F-16 fighter jets intercepted the U.S. planes and warned them they were in Indonesian airspace, he said.

"It was tense as the F-18 planes went into attack positions," said Wresnowiro, who goes by a single name. "They adopted an attack maneuver and had their missiles locked on our planes, ready to fire."

Wresnowiro said the planes were guarding an aircraft carrier, two frigates and a tanker traveling in the area.

The naval convoy was not in an international sea lane and had sought permission from the Indonesian government, he said, "but our bureaucracy is too slow to pass the security clearance."

Wresnowiro said Indonesia was considering whether to send the United States a complaint.

A U.S. Embassy spokeswoman said officials were looking into the report.

Nationalist politicians and military officers have long complained about espionage flights or clandestine airdrops by foreign aircraft across Indonesia's 13,000 islands, which sit strategically between the Pacific and Indian Oceans.

"President Megawati Sukarnoputri must strongly protest the arrogant actions of U.S. pilots, which have insulted Indonesia's sovereignty," nationalist legislators said in a statement.

Must be time for a new war. Quickly too, as the natives were starting to do dangerous things like wonder where there jobs went, wondering where the WMD went, wondering where the hunt for corporate crime went, wondering where Saddam and Osama went.

Next thing you know will have to pick a fight with an African country. We sure do love bombing brown people....

No ATS folk besides the soothsayer have seemed overly concerned about this hotspot so I will carry on in monologue.

On reflection there appears to be a couple of problems here:

* How does the local journalist who wrote the story, know that the US fighter planes locked onto the Indonesian planes? Is there some audio or visual cue that would tell the Indonesian pilots this?

* Were the US pilots knowingly flying outside their authorized flightpath? Under whose command? Or were they just being macho, or plane stupid, as they get in Italy?

I am not happy that idiot PM John Howard is a sycophant of imbecile 'president' George W Bush.

I am less happy that this sort of stupid action from the US takes place next to Australia's nearest and most militarily prepared non-English speaking neighbour.

Howard should also order an investigation into this, and demand an apology.

But he won't. He is a petty, racist, lily-livered useless scumbag, who won't upset the apple cart with fellow scumbag Bush.

Originally posted by MaskedAvatar
No ATS folk besides the soothsayer have seemed overly concerned about this hotspot so I will carry on in monologue.

On reflection there appears to be a couple of problems here:

* How does the local journalist who wrote the story, know that the US fighter planes locked onto the Indonesian planes? Is there some audio or visual cue that would tell the Indonesian pilots this?

* Were the US pilots knowingly flying outside their authorized flightpath? Under whose command? Or were they just being macho, or plane stupid, as they get in Italy?

I am not happy that idiot PM John Howard is a sycophant of imbecile 'president' George W Bush.

I am less happy that this sort of stupid action from the US takes place next to Australia's nearest and most militarily prepared non-English speaking neighbour.

Howard should also order an investigation into this, and demand an apology.

But he won't. He is a petty, racist, lily-livered useless scumbag, who won't upset the apple cart with fellow scumbag Bush.

First off MA....are you calling this truly a 'hotspot'? 'Hotspot' in relation to what? More like your looking for more 'wood' to throw on the Bushfire so to speak, eh?


As to your first set of questions.....perhaps when those Indonesian pilot's landed and proceeded to clean the poo out their flightsuits, that might have been the first clue. Second clue might have been when that little red light comes on in the aircraft dash that identifys that, indeed, that particular aircraft was 'missile locked'. Information flys quickly, anywhere, anyhow.....especially when it deals with the US don't it?


As to your second set of questions, again, being the US is involved, this gets blown out of proportion. The article indicates that the US convoy, consisting of a carrier, two frigates, and a tanker, "had sought permission from the Indonesian government..." How is this representative of purposeful aggression?!? The planes were most assurdedly escorts for the carrier, for which an escort flight op is always in operation when a carrier is at sea, 24/7. No plane, unless identified through a identification process will be allowed to enter that zone, no matter if international waters or territorial. The incident is another case of being "blown out of proportion" by anyone seeking to equate it to further Bush agenda's and US Imperialism. Don't add up!

regards
seekerof

Seekerof

Are you an ingoramus outside of events in Virginia?

Are you not aware of the terrorist attack in Bali killing hundreds of Australians, Americans and other nationals??????

Nothing out of proportion here at all based on the facts, bud.

In fact, nothing "blown up" by the media at all. I never saw this report anywhere else. I expect it is exactly the kind of story that is being regularly spiked.

Along with military vehicles running over 9-yo children on Iraqi through roads and leaving them to die.

That kind of stuff.

I'm not familiar with the instrument panels of whatever craft they use in Indonesia. I'm still puzzled by how this story got into the hands of any journalist at all, and monitoring it to see what happens.

Originally posted by MaskedAvatar
Seekerof

Are you an ingoramus outside of events in Virginia?

Are you not aware of the terrorist attack in Bali killing hundreds of Australians, Americans and other nationals??????

Nothing out of proportion here at all based on the facts, bud.

In fact, nothing "blown up" by the media at all. I never saw this report anywhere else. I expect it is exactly the kind of story that is being regularly spiked.

Along with military vehicles running over 9-yo children on Iraqi through roads and leaving them to die.

That kind of stuff.

I'm not familiar with the instrument panels of whatever craft they use in Indonesia. I'm still puzzled by how this story got into the hands of any journalist at all, and monitoring it to see what happens.

Ahhh, I see.....ok...........
Yep, I'm not up to date on current events such as yourself...forgive me o'mighty one.

regards
seekerof

Bali was over a year ago.

Apologies unnecessary, and forgiveness not forthcoming.

What is, is.

And the Bush administration is an inherently corrupt thing, causing problems to brew in every corner of the world....