Jakarta, March 6 (Xinhuanet) -- The Indonesian Air Force is stationing four F-16 jetfighters in East Kalimantan to carry out patrol duties over the Ambalat area in the Sulawesi Sea which Malaysia recently claimed as being part of its territory, the country's official news agency said Sunday.

    "The four jetfighters have left their base in Madiun, East Java,and will arrive in Balikpapan, East kalimantan, in the afternoon,"the Antara News Agency quoted Air Force Chief of Staff Vice Marshal Djoko Suyanto as saying at the presidential office here Sunday.

    The four jetfighters will complement the activities of five Indonesian warships that have also been assigned to patrol the area, Djoko said, adding that the planes would not engage in any provocative actions.

    It is now still hard to say for how long the jetfighters will be based in Ballkpapan to conduct patrol duties over the Ambalat area, he said.

    The dispute with Malaysia over the Amabalat area came to spotlight after Malaysia's national oil company Petronas awarded aconcession to the Anglo-Dutch oil giant Shell to explore oil and gas and another one to Petronas Carigali to explore hydrocarbon resources in the area.

    Last week, Malaysia reiterated that the Ambalat and East Ambalat Blocks to the east of Kalimantan were within the limits ofits continental shelf as showed in the Territorial Waters and Continental Shelf Boundaries of Malaysia Map issued in 1979.

    However, Indonesia claimed that the blocks were within its maritime territory and sent three protest notes to Malaysia objecting to any exploration and exploitation activities by Malaysia in the Ambalat area. Enditem