Jakarta refuses to let go of Seribu islands

Jakarta refuses to let go of Seribu islands

JAKARTA: The city flatly refused on Monday to hand over
control of any of the Seribu islands to Banten province.

"The Kepulauan Seribu (Thousand Islands) are in the territory
of Jakarta," Governor Sutiyoso told reporters after installing a
number of new city officials at City Hall.

Banten province has claimed that 22 islets in the Thousand
Islands are located in its territory, and demanded that the
Jakarta administration hand them over.

Banten, which used to be part of West Java, was made a new
province two years ago.

Sutiyoso said Law No. 34/1999 stipulated that the Thousand
Islands belonged to Jakarta.

Last year, the city administration upgraded the status of the
Thousand Islands from a district to a regency.

The poverty rate in the regency is relatively high, and
ownership disputes have arisen over many of the islands that have
been developed into holiday resorts.

The city put forward a plan last month to open casinos in the
Thousand Islands, though the ensuing public controversy makes it
seem unlikely that the plan will be realized any time soon. -- JP