Indonesia, Malaysia to discuss sea border

Indonesia, Malaysia to discuss sea border

INDONESIA: Indonesia and Malaysia will hold a two-day technical
discussion on the delimitation of Indonesia's and Malaysia's sea
borders starting on Wednesday, Ministry of Foreign Affairs
spokesman Yuri Oktavian Thamrin says.

The meeting will be the second round of a series of technical
meeting to discuss the sea borders, including the Ambalat blocks,
an oil- and gas-rich area off the eastern coast of Kalimantan.

"The discussion will revolve around the delimitation of all
borders in the Sulawesi Sea, South China Sea, Strait of Malacca
and Singapore Strait. In all the negotiations, Indonesia will
adhere to its national legislation, the Law No. 17/1985 on
Malaysia's acknowledgement on Indonesia as an archipelagic
nation; the International Convention, the 1982 United Nations
Convention on the Law of the Sea and other international laws,"
Yuri said on Friday.

Ambalat is an area located under Indonesia's continental shelf
at the Sulawesi Sea and therefore Indonesia had limited sovereign
rights to the area, including the right to explore the natural
resources under the sea, Yuri said.

Indonesia would also honor other countries' rights to the
seas, including their privilege to install pipes and cables, he
said. -- JP