Singapore bans disputed Indonesian navy ship

Singapore said Tuesday it will ban from its ports and naval bases an Indonesian navy ship named after two marines who bombed an office complex in the city-state in the 1960s. Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said the ship will be barred as part of a dispute over the Indonesian navy's decision to name the refurbished frigate after the two marines, Usman Haji Mohamed Ali and Harun Said.
They were convicted and executed in Singapore for the bombing in March 1965 which killed three people and injured 33 others. But the marines, who had entered Singapore in civilian disguise, have been hailed as heroes in Indonesia. Their undercover infiltration was part of an attempt by then-Indonesian president Sukarno to stage an armed confrontation against the newly formed federation of Malaysia, which at the time included Singapore. "Singapore will not allow this military ship named Usman Harun to call at our ports and naval bases," Ng told parliament Tuesday.