A navy spokesman said there was a plan to pull warships from the area east of Borneo, but Indonesia's military chief said otherwise.

Indonesia has seven warships in the area along with four F16 fighters.

Navy spokesman First Admiral Abdul Malik Yusuf said Wednesday several of the ships had provided protection for President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who visited the area this week. Some would be withdrawn, he said, as Malaysia had only two warships there.

But General Endriartono Sutarto said there would be no withdrawal as ``it is our duty to protect sovereignty.''

The issue remained unsure as Indonesian Foreign Minister Hassan Wirajuda and Malaysian counterpart Syed Hamid Albar opened talks in Jakarta Wednesday night to try to defuse a row triggered after both sides granted exploration rights to foreign oil firms.

In Jakarta Wednesday, about 200 demonstrators scuffled with police outside the Malaysian embassy, chanting slogans and burning flags in a third day of protest. Small demonstrations were held in three other cities. The dispute was also in cyberspace, with Indonesian hackers targeting Malaysian Web sites. In one attack on a site run by the office of the Sultan of Perak, Malaysia's second-largest state, visitors found the slogans ``Indonesia is united'' and ``Do not disturb my land.''

REUTERS, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE