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Whatever the fate of the negotiation offer, the confrontation has gradually withered away. No major incidents have occurred along the 971-mile Borneo border since last June, and the Malay Peninsula has been dead quiet. Last week the only confrontation Indonesia had in the Strait of Malacca was with the Helen Mar Reef. One of the Indonesian navy's Soviet-built frigates ran aground and remained stuck, despite the efforts of two other warships to tow her off. To a passing British patrol vessel, the frigate signaled sadly: "See you at the same place tomorrow."