Govt told to make rulings on maritime borders<\/p>\n
Debbie A. Lubis, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The government needs to establish some rulings on the country's
\nmaritime borders in a bid to promote security and law enforcement
\nof its territory at sea, a discussion concluded here last week.<\/p>\n
Focusing on the country's maritime borders, the discussion
\nsaid that the country had not set clear boundaries for its sea
\nterritory, continental coastline and exclusive economic zones
\n(EEZ), even though it ratified the 1982 United Nations Convention
\non the Law of the Sea in 1985.<\/p>\n
Hasjim Djalal, a professor of international relations and law
\nat the Bandung-based Padjadjaran University and one of the
\nspeakers at the discussion, regretted the fact that the country
\ndid not have a map of its maritime borders although it had drawn
\nsome 183 base points as references to determine the borders of
\nits waters through government regulation No.38\/2002.<\/p>\n
The former Indonesian ambassador for maritime affairs said
\nthat there were some 27 base points that had not been
\nincorporated into the regulation.<\/p>\n
\"The government needs to draw up a map because the base points
\nand points of its sea territory, additional zones, continental
\ncoastline and EEZ should be recorded with the UN Secretary in New
\nYork so that our maritime borders can be internationally
\nrecognized,\" he said.<\/p>\n
According to the convention, the country has the right to
\nclaim as its territory up to 12 miles from its outermost islands,
\nan additional zone of a special jurisdiction that reaches 24
\nmiles and its EEZ of up to 200 miles. The continental base is
\nmeasured between 200 miles and 350 miles.<\/p>\n
Another speaker Rear Adm. (ret) Bambang Moergianto, the
\ndirector general of maritime defense at the Ministry of Defense,
\nsaid that the absence of clear borders had prevented law
\nenforcers at sea from carrying out their duties effectively.<\/p>\n
\"We cannot easily allege that a particular foreign vessel is
\ninvolved in illegal fishing or other crimes in our waters because
\nthere are no clear coordinate points for our maritime borders,\"
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
The Kuala Lumpur-based Piracy Reporting Center said in its
\nannual report in February last year that actual or attempted
\npiracy attacks from January to December 2001 in Indonesia
\naccounted for 91 incidents, while another 17 occurred in the busy
\nMalacca Straits that separate Indonesia from Malaysia.<\/p>\n
\"The shipping industry hopes that the Indonesian authorities
\nwill increase their efforts, otherwise the area will maintain its
\nhigh risk status,\" it said.<\/p>\n
Illegal logs, mainly from Sumatra, were also reported to have
\nbeen brought to Malacca and Johor states on the Malaysia
\npeninsula and to Sabah state on Borneo island.<\/p>\n
Bambang said that the country had suffered losses of US$4
\nbillion from the illegal exploitation of natural resources and
\nsome $6 billion from illegal logging.<\/p>\n
\"It is hard for the Navy to uphold security and law
\nenforcement over 5.8 million square kilometers of water because
\nonly 20 of its 116 ships are operational,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Hasjim said that the government should also determine more sea
\nlanes that can be used by foreign vessels, because many areas of
\nthe country's waters have become international routes, including
\nthe Java Sea and the Flores Sea.<\/p>\n
Indonesia's seas border with those of Malaysia, Singapore, the
\nPhilippines, Thailand, Vietnam, Papua New Guinea, Australia, East
\nTimor, India and Palau. But so far Indonesia has signed
\ncontinental coastline agreements with Malaysia, Thailand, India,
\nPapua New Guinea and Australia.<\/p>\n
There are only two agreements on sea territory with Malaysia
\nand Singapore, and just one agreement on the EEZ with Australia.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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