Islets not to fall into private hands

Islets not to fall into private hands

JAKARTA: The government official has called on regional administrations to no longer allow private individuals to own islands, however small they may be.

Alex Retraubun, the director of small islands' development at the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, said on Sunday that the ownership of small islands by individuals had only inflicted losses on the general public and the state.

"The owners of small islands have often refused to pay taxes although they have developed tourist resorts and other profit- making facilities," he said.

Besides, many private owners had arbitrarily denied local people access to their islands.

He said the existing agrarian law should be revised to prevent the ownership of small islands by individuals.

It has been reported that 34 islets in the Seribu Islands chain off Jakarta are owned by individuals. --Antara