Time line of Ambalat dispute
Time line of Ambalat dispute
1979: Malaysia unilaterally draws up a map delineating its
territorial limits, which the Indonesian government says includes
parts of its territory in eastern Kalimantan and Sulawesi.
Feb. 8, 1980: Indonesia relays a protest to Malaysia over Kuala
Lumpur's claim over the area of Ambalat in the Sulawesi Sea, off
the northern coast of east Kalimantan. Indonesia claims the area
for itself. Jakarta says Malaysia's unilateral claim of a
territorial border has no legal power and that the delimitation
of a maritime border must be conducted through negotiations, in
line with international law.
Sept. 1999: The Indonesian government grants oil concession
rights to ENI, an Italian oil company, in the Ambalat offshore
area.
Dec. 2002: Indonesia loses the islands of Ligitan and Sipadan
near Ambalat to Malaysia in a legal battle at the International
Court of Justice (ICJ) in the Hague, Netherlands.
Sept. 2003: Malaysia conducts a seismic survey of deepwater oil
blocks near east Kalimantan, which it refers to as blocks Y and
Z.
Dec. 13, 2004: The Indonesian government grants concession rights
to U.S. oil company Unocal Indonesia in the Ambalat area.
June 2004: Malaysian marines hold live-fire shooting exercises in
the waters of Sipadan and Ligitan islands, which Jakarta says is
Indonesian territory.
Jan. 7, 2005: The Indonesian Navy claims a Malaysian warship
fired on an Indonesian trawler and that Malaysian marines
detained an employee of an Indonesian shipping company as he was
repairing a signal light on Karan Unarang, east of Sebatik
island.
Feb. 16, 2005: Malaysia's state oil and gas company Petronas
signs two production sharing contracts with Shell Malaysia for
deepwater blocks Y and Z.
Feb. 25, 2005: Indonesia lodges a protest with Malaysia over its
awarding of oil concession rights in the Sulawesi Sea, referred
to as the Ambalat Block and the East Ambalat Block, both claimed
by Indonesia.
Feb. 28, 2005: Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi
states that the oil concession rights granted by Petronas to
Shell in the Sulawesi Sea are located in Malaysian territory,
while three Indonesian warships sail to the area.
March 3, 2005: A Malaysian Beechcraft Super King plane violates
Indonesian airspace over the Sulawesi Sea, according to the
Indonesian Navy, the fourth Malaysian aircraft to violate
Indonesian airspace over the last 10 days, according to the
Indonesians.
March 4, 2005: The spokesman of Indonesia's Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, Marty Natalegawa, says Indonesia is committed to
settling the Ambalat row through diplomacy and will not take the
case to the International Court of Justice.
March 5, 2005: The Indonesian Navy says it has deployed seven
warships to patrol the area around Ambalat.
March 6, 2005: The Indonesian Air Force dispatches four F-16
fighter jets to the disputed Ambalat offshore area.
March 7, 2005: President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Malaysian
Prime Minister Badawi agree in a telephone call to a meeting of
foreign ministers to defuse the crisis.
Sources: Kompas, The Jakarta Post and others
JP/Darul Aqsha