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