Asia Sentinel (January 18) disclosed that an Indonesian fisherman found an underwater drone near the Selayar Islands in South Sulawesi, Indonesia, on December 26. The drone, a torpedo-shaped object was confirmed by the Indonesian Navy as being equipped with cameras and sensors used to detect ocean geography. It was the third such device found in Indonesian waters. A similar one was previously found near the Masalembu Islands about 650 km west of the Selayar Islands and another was found in March 2019 in waters around the Riau Islands. The three islands are astride waters that are an important part of maritime routes stretching between the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea. Asia Sentinel quoted an unnamed military researcher as saying that the exceptionally deep Sunda and Lombok straits are key chokepoints for submarines transiting between the Indian Ocean and the South China Sea. The US is known to have maintained a sophisticated undersea surveillance system in the strait for decades. The drones’ discovery has raised questions whether the Chinese government is secretly conducting underwater surveys of the route between the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean, information that could be very useful for its submarines passing through this area. The paper said the US Navy is believed to have participated in detecting the drones.

(Comment: Since 2015, the US has authorised the export of more than U$546 million in military sales to Indonesia including aircraft, missiles, firearms and electronics according to a November 30, 2020, State Department fact sheet.