Judgement day nearing for Ligitan and Sipadan

Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Indonesia and Malaysia will hear the final verdict next month from the International Court of Justice (ICG) on the dispute over the ownership of Sipadan and Ligitan islands, the minister of foreign affairs said on Wednesday.

"A verdict will be handed down on Dec. 17. We will receive it together," Hassan explained during a hearing with the House of Representatives' Commission I on political and foreign affairs.

The hearing discussed various issues within the purview of the ministry, including the raids on Indonesian citizens in Australia and the planned peace agreement between the government and the Aceh Freedom Movement (GAM).

"Let's pray that Indonesia will win the case," he said.

At present, he added, the island dispute now merely involves a legal battle between the two countries rather than diplomatic negotiations.

"This case is being dealt with by a special task force comprising officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, the Navy, Nunukan Regency in East Kalimantan, as well as maritime and legal experts," he said.

Sipadan and Ligitan islands, which lie off Indonesia's East Kalimantan and Malaysia's Sabah State, have been disputed by the two countries since 1969, with both sides claiming title to them.

A series of bilateral negotiations have been undertaken, but to no avail. Thus, in 1996 the two countries decided to bring the case to the International Court in The Hague in the Netherlands.

Indonesia and Malaysia then ratified an agreement in 1997 to accept any decision about the status of the island made by the International Court.

The last hearing of the court was held in June, when the two countries presented their stances over the islands, particularly regarding the political and legal perspectives.

Sipadan is recognized as one of the premier diving sites in Southeast Asia.

Malaysia has ordered a stop to new projects on the two islands pending the court's ruling but has allowed five Malaysian tourism companies on the islands to continue operating.

However, Commission I expressed the fear that the country would loose the islands due to the government's inability to properly handle the case.

So far, the government had displayed a lack of capacity to settle various cases, including the GAM insurrection, the commission said.

Legislator Yasril Ananta Baharuddin of the Golkar faction said that to date Malaysia had failed to respect the islands' disputed status by continuing tourism development on them.

On the other hand, Indonesians found it very difficult just to land on the islands, he added.

"But what can we do? We do nothing," he said.