Indonesia deplores N. Korea’s second nuclear test

Indonesia has deplored North Korea’s second nuclear test, saying it “would only create new tensions in the region, especially in East Asia”. Pyongyang’s latest provocative move, Foreign Ministry spokesman Teuku Faizasyah said Monday, would again disrupt the already stalled six-nation talks, which aim to find a peaceful resolution to the nuclear ambitions of the recalcitrant communist state.

Bilateral relations between Indonesia and North Korea have been good, but Faizasyah said, “Our position [on the nuclear issue] is clear. We are against the development of nuclear weapons, even if carried out by our fellow countries.” North Korea said it had successfully conducted a nuclear test on Monday, the Associated Press reported, quoting the country’s official KCNA news agency as saying the move was “part of the measures to bolster up its nuclear deterrent for self-defense in every way”.

The US Geological Survey said it had detected a 4.7-magnitude quake in an area close to where the test site is thought to be.