S'pore reclamation projects may cause row with RI<\/p>\n
Adianto P. Simamora, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Ongoing coastal reclamation projects in Singapore will enlarge
\nSingapore's land area, which could potentially create a serious
\ndiplomatic row with Indonesia in the future, said a senior
\ngovernment official.<\/p>\n
Etty R. Agoes, a marine law expert at the Ministry of Maritime
\nAffairs and Fisheries, said that the two neighboring countries
\nhad yet to reach agreement on territorial borders, particularly
\nin the eastern and western border areas of Singapore.<\/p>\n
\"The territory borderline issue will be a serious obstacle for
\nboth countries,\" she told The Jakarta Post earlier this week.<\/p>\n
Etty said that the government of Indonesia, via the Ministry
\nof Foreign Affairs, had sent letters several times to the
\nSingapore government to discuss and settle the matters, but they
\nhad not been properly responded to by Singapore.<\/p>\n
Singapore is already facing problems with Malaysia over a
\nsimilar issue. The wealthy island state started its reclamation
\nproject in 1999.<\/p>\n
Singapore's ongoing and future reclamation projects are
\nconcentrated in the eastern and western coastal areas. The
\nreclamation activities are heavily dependent upon sand extracted
\nfrom the waters of adjacent Riau island.<\/p>\n
Singapore's original land area was 580 square kilometers (sq
\nkm), according to one estimate, but after the 1999 reclamation
\nprojects, the area was enlarged to 660 sq km.<\/p>\n
Current and future reclamation projects are expected to
\nenlarge Singapore's area by an additional 100 sq km.<\/p>\n
The area of Jurong Island, for example, will be expanded to
\n3,200 hectares, from its original 1,700 hectares.<\/p>\n
Legislators previously called on the government of Indonesia
\nto ban sand exports to Singapore completely until the two
\ngovernments had settled the border issue.<\/p>\n
Singapore is estimated to require some 1.8 billion cubic
\nmeters of sand over the next eight years for its land reclamation
\nwork.<\/p>\n
Riau has been exporting sand both legally and illegally to
\nSingapore for many years to support the reclamation projects.<\/p>\n
The sand is sold at S$1.5 per cubic meter to international
\nbrokers, who then sell it on to Singapore construction firms for
\nS$15 per cubic meter.<\/p>\n
Uncontrolled sand extraction from the coastal areas of Riau,
\nhowever, has caused severe environmental damage and has led to
\nthe disappearance of a number of small islets from the province.<\/p>\n
Director of the research center for marine territory and
\nnonliving resources at the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and
\nFisheries Safri Burhanuddin said that at least five small islets
\nhad disappeared in Riau province.<\/p>\n
\"Unrestrained sand mining has accelerated the disappearance of
\nthese small islets,\" he told The Post.<\/p>\n
He also warned that more small islets would disappear if sand
\nmining activities remained uncontrolled.<\/p>\n
\"We hope the current zoning mechanism will be able to protect
\nthe marine environment,\" he said.<\/p>\n
President Megawati Soekarnoputri recently issued a decree that
\nenabled the central government to take over supervision of sand
\nmining activities, in a move to help curb illegal sand quarrying
\nand avoid damage to the local marine environment.<\/p>\n
A special team has also been set up to formulate ways to
\nprotect the marine environment.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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