E. Timor concedes sovereignty over dispute island to Indonesia<\/p>\n
Yemris Fointuna, The Jakarta Post\/Kupang<\/p>\n
East Timor has acknowledged Indonesian sovereignty over disputed
\nBatek Island, a senior Indonesian Military (TNI) officer said on
\nWednesday.<\/p>\n
Emerging from a meeting with East Timor officials in Kupang,
\nCol. Moeswarno Moesanip said the acknowledgement came from East
\nTimor foreign minister Ramos Horta.<\/p>\n
Horta made the statement after reviewing several documents and
\nmaps during the meeting that proved that the island was
\nIndonesian territory and not East Timorese, said Moeswarno, head
\nof Wirasakti military command overseeing East Nusa Tenggara
\nprovince.<\/p>\n
The meeting followed Horta's recent visit to Bali, where he
\nmet his Indonesian counterpart Hassan Wirayuda to discuss the
\nprosecution of Indonesian generals over the 1999 violence in East
\nTimor.<\/p>\n
Batek Island, located near Kupang regency in East Nusa
\nTenggara, became a contentious issue after the East Timor
\ngovernment claimed at the beginning of this year that it was part
\nof Oecusi, its enclave in West Timor.<\/p>\n
Responding to the claim, the Indonesian government said East
\nTimor had never controlled the island and the nation's red-and-
\nwhite flag had flown there since December 2002.<\/p>\n
The dispute heated up further in January, when Ramos Horta
\ncriticized the TNI for holding military exercises on Batek at the
\nend of 2003.<\/p>\n
According to data at the Kupang administration, the island,
\nwhich is uninhabited and only slightly bigger than a soccer
\nfield, is part of Oepoli village in North Amfoang subdistrict,
\nnear international waters.<\/p>\n
Due to its strategic location, fishermen from both countries
\noften use the island as a transit point.<\/p>\n
With the acknowledgment of Ramos Horta, the dispute over Batek
\nIsland has been put to rest.<\/p>\n
In the meeting with East Timorese officials, TNI authorities
\nalso agreed to conduct joint patrols with East Timor along their
\nshared border to prevent smuggling.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Horta expressed concern that several East Timor
\nmilitant groups living near the East Nusa Tenggara border were
\ntrying to destabilize the tiny new country.<\/p>\n
Moeswarno quelled the concern, saying that the TNI would not
\nallow any groups to use East Nusa Tenggara as a base for
\noperations to destabilize its neighbor.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/e-timor-concedes-sovereignty-over-dispute-island-to-indonesia-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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