Indonesian Marines patrol Nipa Island border near Singapore

The patrol took place on Wednesday (Feb. 25) on the small outer island in Batam, Riau Islands Province, according to an official statement received in Jakarta on Thursday.

Marine Corps Spokesperson Colonel Rana Karyana said the operation was focused on Nipa Island because it lies directly adjacent to Singapore and along a key global maritime route.

“The patrol was conducted there as Nipa Island is located on one of the world’s busiest international shipping lanes and borders Singapore,” Rana said.

He said the activity began with a morning roll call and physical exercise to ensure troops were in peak condition before deployment.

After the exercise, personnel began patrolling waters around Nipa Island, monitoring the security situation and detecting movements of foreign warships passing nearby.

Troops also inspected strategic points on land and along the coastline to ensure the area remained secure and under control, Rana said.

The patrol was carried out during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, with personnel maintaining full operational readiness despite fasting.

Based on the patrol’s findings, no suspicious activities were detected that could threaten Indonesian territory, the spokesperson said.

Rana said Marine personnel would continue to be deployed to the area to ensure security along the Indonesia-Singapore maritime border.

Nipa Island is one of Indonesia’s outermost islands and plays a strategic role in defining important maritime boundaries in the busy Malacca Strait region.

Related news: Indonesia intensifies border operations against drug trafficking

Related news: RI Govt urges border regions to prepare refugee transit shelters

Translator: Walda M, Rahmad Nasution