Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Saturday held a meeting with several cabinet ministers and Indonesian National Defence Forces (TNI) Commander Gen Endriartono Sutarto, demanding avoidance of military collision with Malaysia.

Upon his returning from a six-day visit to Australia, New Zealand and East Timor Saturday evening, the president called a limited cabinet meeting at the airport's VVIP room to discuss with the senior officials and officers over the situation.

After the meeting, the TNI commander confirmed that an Indonesian navy ship and a Malaysian vessel had collided in the disputed Ambalat block in the Sulawesi Sea on Friday morning, reported the official Antara news agency.

The incident, took place off the East Kalimantan coast, was involved by the Malaysian navy ship KD Rencong and the Indonesian navy ship KRI Tedung Naga.

It was revealed that the two ships collided repeatedly, the left side of the Indonesian ship's hull was damaged while the Malaysian ship's front was also damaged.

The TNI chief admitted that he had yet to make contact with his Malaysian counterpart but the chiefs of the two navies had already discussed the incident.

The TNI is investigating the incident, he said. "We will make a decision later."

Warships from both countries have come into close contact several times since Feb. 16 when the Dutch oil company Shell was given a concession by Malaysia's state oil company Petronas.

Jakarta says the blocks awarded by Petronas are outside Kuala Lumpur's sovereignty.

After initial tension, Indonesia and Malaysia agreed to hold peaceful dialogue to end the dispute.

Officials and experts from Indonesia and Malaysia held negotiations in March to settle the dispute over the area, and the two countries are set to meet again in May.

Source: Xinhua