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AKARTA: The Indonesian Environmental Forum (Walhi) is demanding South Sulawesi provincial goverment cancel its plan to lease 12 islets in Selayar regency to investors.

Granting the right to manage islands to investors is akin to selling the country's sovereignty to capitalists, Wahi said in a press release made available to The Jakarta Post.

The non-profit organization warns that, as an archipelagic nation, each of the more than 13,000 islands account for the basis of Indonesia's sovereignty and the government should maintain control over every one of them.

Furthermore, the govenment would lose control of the leased islands' culture and economy.

"Once an investor is granted concession, the local people will lose their resources," Walhi said.