Indonesian jets force Ethiopian cargo plane to land over airspace breach

JAKARTA (Reuters) - Two Indonesian F-16 fighter jets forced an Ethiopian Airlines cargo plane to land on Monday at an airport on Batam island after it had flown into Indonesian airspace without permission, an air force spokesman said.

Air force spokesman First Marshal Novyan Samyoga said in a statement the Boeing Co 777 cargo plane had been secured by air force personnel at Hang Nadim international airport on Batam, an island south of Singapore.

The cargo flight ETH 3728 had been flying from the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa to Hong Kong, Suwarso, head of Hang Nadim airport, said in a text message to Reuters.

Officials at Ethiopian Airlines could not immediately be reached for comment.

(Reporting by Agustinus Beo Da Costa; Writing by Ed Davies; Editing by Darren Schuettler)