SINGAPORE — Indonesia meant “no ill intent” or “malice” in naming a navy vessel after two marines who carried out a deadly bombing here in the ’60s, said the country’s Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa in an interview with Channel NewsAsia yesterday.

He also reaffirmed the “extremely close” bilateral relations Indonesia has with Singapore and said those behind the naming decision must have felt it “should not cause any more furore” because they had assumed “this has been a closed chapter (after) 1973”. That was the year former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew laid flowers on the graves of Osman Hj Mohd Ali and Harun Said — who were tried and hanged here in 1968 for the MacDonald House bombing three years earlier which killed three and injured 33 others — and restored bilateral relations.

“The most important message that must be underscored and must be understood is that no ill intent was meant behind the naming of this naval vessel,” said Dr Marty. “Once again, no malice, no ill will (or) worse, hostilities, (were) intended. Indonesia is not a country of that type. We are peaceful. We are friendly, especially to Singapore.”

He added: “The reality is (that) Indonesia and Singapore enjoy extremely close relations — really mutually beneficial, marked by complementarity of interests ... The recent episode of the past one week, I think, reminds us that while relations are very strong and very close, we need to constantly nurture this relationship and show that there are no unintended complications that arise from decisions made from whichever side.”

The diplomatic row between the two countries was sparked after Indonesian newspaper Kompas resurfaced the naming of the frigate as KRI Usman Harun in a Feb 4 report — the decision was made in December 2012, Indonesia’s armed forces chief reportedly said. Five Singapore Cabinet Ministers raised concerns with their counterparts over the matter last week, but Jakarta has pushed back with what it saw as interference and has said it would stand by its decision.

The latest development in the spat saw Singapore pulling invitations to the Singapore Airshow for the Indonesian Navy chief and his delegation. Indonesia’s Deputy Defence Minister, along with three of his military top brass, also decided not to attend the show after a dialogue with Second Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing was rescheduled.

While Dr Marty acknowledged yesterday that he was surprised by Singapore’s reaction to the naming of the frigate, he said he did not think long-term damage would be dealt to bilateral ties “once the dust settles, once we reflect on the reality of the closeness of our relations — not least among the military”.

“So, I’m sure we’ll get to where we have been, and this has been a very, somewhat challenging week. But I’m confident that given the fact, once again, (that) no ill intent was meant to be projected, we hope to be able to move on and further strengthen our bilateral relations,” said Dr Marty, who revealed that Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs had sent a note to Jakarta about the matter on Monday.

He also reiterated that Jakarta is taking the issue very seriously and sought to play down the spat. “I don’t even agree with the term ‘spat’ because Indonesia and Singapore relations are so multifaceted. As we speak now, we are having a strong delegation of economic ministers in Singapore to discuss ways and means to strengthen our bilateral relations. So, it’s not a spat, it is a certain dynamics we are going through, but it’s a process ... we have to nurture back our relations.”