REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, BATAM - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY) said the government plans to station a marine battalion in the Riau Islands to maintain security in the Malacca Strait section in Indonesian waters. "According to plans, there will be a battalion of marines stationed in the region," he said while on Nipah island on Saturday.

He added that the location was considered strategic, with regard to state defense and security. The battalion would maintain security in the Strait of Malacca in the Indonesian waters, he said. t

The marines will also guard the border to combat trans-national crimes, in cooperation with the police. On the outermost island of Nipah, SBY and entourage visited the base housing soldiers guarding the border.

He and First Lady Any Yudhoyono also planted trees to assist in the re-forestation of the island, which has been reclaimed at a cost of million dollars. On a plaque set up on the island, SBY wrote "Defend our outermost post for the sake of the country`s sovereignty."

SBY arrived on the island aboard naval ship KRI Diponegoro after visiting Singapore and delivering a keynote address at the Shangri La Dialog on Asia Pacific Defense and Security. He had also attended a meeting with Singapore`s prime minister, Lee Hsien Loong, and had tea with Singapore`s president, Tony Tan Keng Yam.

While in Singapore, the president also met with US Senators John McCain and Joseph Lieberman. President Yudhoyono will spend a night on the island before leaving for Jakarta on Sunday. 

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