President tells people to watch RI's borders

President tells people to watch RI's borders

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Disappointed at the recent loss of two islands to Malaysia,
President Megawati Soekarnoputri told Indonesians on Tuesday
evening to be more alert over border issues.

"Learning from this experience, I ask the people of Indonesia
and all those in the government, be they in Jakarta or in the
regions, to carefully observe similar cases in other places," the
President said in her new year address to the nation.

Indonesia lost the Sipadan and Ligitan islands to Malaysia in
a ruling by the UN The Hague-based International Court of Justice
on Dec. 17.

"No matter how difficult the circumstances, there must be
effective steps so that this experience does not repeat itself,"
she said.

The dispute with Malaysia over the two islands stretched back
to the late sixties and over four presidencies. But their loss
comes as a particular blow to the nationalistic-leaning Megawati,
who, in 1999, lambasted then president B.J. Habibie's move to
allow former province East Timor to vote for independence.

Legislators have drawn parallels with East Timor's break away,
and questioned Megawati's commitment on the issue of territorial
integrity.

Although tiny, Sipadan and Ligitan are said to be rich in
natural resources. Sipadan's famous diving attractions have also
made it one of Malaysia's key tourist destinations.

Indonesia's lack of administrative control over the islands
has led the UN court to rule in Malaysia's favor.

Now Megawati said she wanted more effective control over the
nation's territory. "The area of a country, no matter how small
or far it may be, represents a constitutional element of the
whole of that country," she said.

"The problem is not just about legality, or who is using or
occupying it (the area), but is also a matter of territorial
integrity and that of national pride."

Legal experts have urged the government to secure border deals
with neighboring countries.

Etty R. Agoes, a legal expert at the Ministry of Maritime
Affairs and Fisheries, said Indonesia shared maritime borders
with 10 countries but just six of them had signed an agreement on
Indonesia's coastlines. Indonesia also has land borders with
three countries.

Etty. however, did not elaborate what the bordering countries
were.