Judgement day nearing for Ligitan and Sipadan
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.