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