Following a series of incidents in the Natuna waters involving Chinese fishing boats and coast guard vessels, Indonesia plans to upgrade its military base in the Natuna Islands on the edge of the South China Sea, a Cabinet minister said Tuesday.
Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu said that during a plenary session the House of Representatives approved an extra budget of 6.59 trillion rupiah (about $486 million) this year for the Ministry of Defense to upgrade the military base.
The additional budget has increased the total budget for the ministry to 106.09 trillion rupiah this year.