RI, RP to discuss maritime borders next month<\/p>\n
Berni K. Moestafa, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Indonesia and the Philippines will meet next month to settle
\ntheir maritime borders in a follow-up to last month's visit by
\nMinister of Foreign Affairs Hassan Wirayuda to Manila, a
\ngovernment official said on Friday.<\/p>\n
The foreign ministry's director for political and security
\nagreements and regional affairs, Donnilo Anwar, said the planned
\nmeeting was to match the countries' maritime borders to avoid
\noverlapping areas.<\/p>\n
\"The meeting won't be about disputed islands,\" Donnilo said
\nduring a media conference. \"None of our islands are in dispute
\nwith the Philippines.\"<\/p>\n
He said the negotiation would determine the maritime borders,
\nmeaning the borders marking the two countries' marine
\nterritories, continental coastlines and exclusive economic zones
\n(EEZ).<\/p>\n
Indonesia's outermost islands, however, serve as a point of
\nreference to determine these borders. There are 83 such islands.<\/p>\n
The planned meeting follows a UN ruling granting ownership of
\ntwo Indonesian-claimed islands to Malaysia in December.<\/p>\n
The international court ruled that the islands of Sipadan and
\nLigitan had a longer historical attachment to Malaysia.<\/p>\n
Although the dispute over the islands with Malaysia stretched
\nback more than three decades, the court ruling sparked criticism
\nof Indonesia's present diplomatic performance.<\/p>\n
Maritime experts have warned of similar risks to other
\nislands, pointing to the lack of border treaties with neighboring
\ncountries.<\/p>\n
Indonesia is bordered by Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines,
\nThailand, Vietnam, Papua New Guinea, Australia, East Timor, India
\nand Palau.<\/p>\n
Based on the international convention on the sea, a country's
\nsea territory is 12 miles from the outermost islands, its EEZ is
\n200 miles, and its continental base is between 200 to 350 miles.<\/p>\n
So far Indonesia has signed continental coastline agreements
\nwith Malaysia, Thailand, India, Papua 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>\n
Indonesian Maritime Board member Laode M. Kamaluddin has said
\nthe high mobility of Australians on Indonesia's Pasir Island
\nmight draw the interest of Australia. Pasir Island, also known as
\nAshmore Reef, is located near the Australian-owned Christmas
\nIsland.<\/p>\n
Loade, also an economic adviser to Vice President Hamzah Haz,
\nhas said that in regards to the Philippines, the Indonesian-owned
\nMiangas Island was a possible source of contention during border
\ntalks.<\/p>\n
People on Miangas Island had been interacting more with the
\nFilipinos rather than Indonesians, Laode said.<\/p>\n
A senior official at the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and
\nFisheries, Nicolas P. Ello, said Miangas Island or Palmas was
\nincluded in the Philippines' 1891 territorial law.<\/p>\n
Nicolas said an international arbitration panel in 1928,
\nhowever, ruled that the island belonged to the Dutch, who
\noccupied Indonesia for more than 300 years from the early 1600s.<\/p>\n
However, Filipino congressmen have lately begun to question
\nthe panel's decision, the ministry's legal expert Etty R. Agoes
\nsaid, quoting a Manila diplomat on maritime affairs.<\/p>\n
\"Indonesia's diplomacy on this issue needs to be intensified,\"
\nsaid Etty in her paper on a seminar about Indonesia's maritime
\nborders last month.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/ri-rp-to-discuss-maritime-borders-next-month-1447893297",
"image": ""
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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