Indonesia needs detailed maps

Indonesia needs detailed maps

JAKARTA (JP): Detailed maps are crucial to the preservation of Indonesia's national resources and territorial integrity, an official said on Saturday.

The head of the National Survey and Mapping Coordinating Agency (Bakosurtanal), Paul Suharto, said on Saturday that complete and unabridged maps of the country are important in protecting Indonesia's borders against potential claims from abroad.

He pointed to the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which came into effect in November and officially recognizes Indonesia "archipelagic concept", as one reason why thorough maps were important.

"As an archipelago we have to lodge detailed maps with the UN in support of our claims to the exclusive economic zone and continental shelf," Paul said, following a meeting with President Soeharto.

Accurate maps of an international standard will aid negotiators in any border disputes, he said.

Indonesia has land borders with Malaysia, on the island of Borneo, and with Papua New Guinea, on the island of Irian Jaya. Dense forest and steeply undulating mountains often make it difficult to clearly the demarcate borders with those two countries.

Accurate maps have been important in the dispute between Jakarta and Kuala Lumpur over the islands of Sipadan and Ligitan, located just east of Kalimantan.

Paul said that historical documents and maps show that both of the former colonial masters, Britain and the Netherlands, had conducted surveys of the two islands.

But he asserted that records also show that in the end the two islands belonged to Dutch territory.

President Soeharto acknowledged the importance of cartography and urged the private sector to play a greater role in this endeavor, Paul said.

"The president instructed Bakosurtanal to help our friends in the private sector to gain the technological know-how necessary for mapping and he urged them to invest in training and equipment," Paul said.

Mapping remains a largely untapped industry which holds much potential and could employ many workers, he said.

Paul said this could be a lucrative industry for the private sector since all they would have to do would be to add accessories and background information to government maps.

Twenty-five years ago, only some 13 percent of Indonesia had been mapped. The figure is currently about 68 percent of the country.

Indonesia had established its expertise in the surveying and mapping field, Paul said.

"Our experts can be depended on ... In fact our expertise in the survey field is being offered to Malaysia, Thailand and oil- rich countries such as Saudi Arabia."(mds)