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Foreign minister urged to formally protest Singapore over island dispute
Maritime expert Rohmin Dahuri has called on Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi to send a diplomatic note to Singaporean authorities to protest the ownership claim over Air Manis Island in Batam.
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On alert – Former fisheries and maritime affairs minister Rohmin Dahuri (pictured) has called on Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi to send a protest note to Singaporean authorities over the ownership claim of Air Manis Island in Batam, Riau Islands, by a Singaporean company. (Tempo/-)
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aritime expert Rohmin Dahuri has called on Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi to send a diplomatic note to Singaporean authorities to protest an ownership claim of Air Manis Island in Batam.
He said the exclusive ownership claim over Air Manis Island by a Singaporean company and its move to unilaterally change its name to Funtasy Island had violated Law No.1/2014 on the management of coastal areas and small islands.
“The basic spirit of the 2014 law is to empower local communities. If our small islands have been managed exclusively, closing access to our people, then it violates our sovereignty,” said the former fisheries and maritime affairs minister.
“I ask the foreign minister to send a protest note to Singapore over the exclusive management and physical claim of the island,” he told thejakartapost.com on Wednesday.
The Riau Islands administration has warned a Singapore-based company, which manages Air Manis Island in Batam, Riau Islands, not to take any action that attempts to change the island’s ownership.
The warning was issued on Tuesday following a recent measure taken by the company, which reportedly had issued a map that includes Air Manis Island as part of Singaporean territory and changed its name to Funtasy Island.
Dozens of Indonesian Army and Navy personnel have been dispatched to the exclusive island, in response to the development.
Riau Islands Tourism Agency head Guntur Sakti told thejakartapost.com on Tuesday that the issue related to Air Manis Island emerged after the company’s management published the Air Manis map and marked it as part of Singapore. This could be seen from the color used to mark Singaporean territory, which was similar with the color used to mark Air Manis Island. The map applied a different color to mark Batam and other Indonesian territories.
“We asked the management company of the island from Singapore to explain. We warned them not to carry out any action that could trigger public outrage,” said Guntur.
He said the administration sent the warning letter to the company on Monday, asking for an explanation.
“Regarding the map, they told us that it was just a marketing strategy. There was no intention by Singapore to take over our territory, they claimed. However, we have warned them about this issue,” said Guntur.
Guntur said Air Manis Island, which covered a 328-hectare area, was jointly managed by two companies from Singapore and Indonesia. It was developed as an integrated tourism area and claimed as the biggest eco-park area in ASEAN.
The development of Air Manis Island was first designed in 1996 and is expected to be completed this year. The island is managed by Funtasy Island Development Pte Ltd.
“There are growing concerns that the island has been claimed by Singapore. We don’t want to see such a thing. This is because administratively, Air Manis Island is located in Belakang Padang district, Batam,” said Guntur.
Dozens of military personnel, who arrived on Air Manis Island on Sunday, displayed red-and-white flags across the area to reaffirm the island was part of Indonesia.
The commander of Indonesian Navy headquarters in Batam, Col. Ribut Eko Suyatno, said the displaying of the flags by military personnel was decided in a Batam Regional Leaders Communication Forum (FKPD) meeting directly led by the Batam Military District Command (Kodim) commander.
“As they are displayed in Indonesian territory, I think there is no problem,” said Ribut.
Ribut further said the Indonesian Military would also build Navy posts around Air Manis Island to anticipate any further disputes over the island.
Riau Islands Legislative Council member Surya Makmur Nasution said the exclusive management of Air Manis Island by a single party violated Law No.27/2007 in reference to Law No.1/2014 on the management of coastal areas and small islands.
“There is no more inhabitants on the island. Such exclusive ownership violates the existing law. There needs to be clarification and the government cannot let this go easily,” said Surya.
Surya also highlighted the change of the island’s name from Air Manis to Funtasy by its administrator. It showed that the company did not adhere to existing rules.
“They must respect the names we have given to islands in our country. Those names have been officially registered at the UN. We want the government to take bold measures in response to this issue,” said Surya.
Funtasy Island is a 328-hectare area with housing, commercial and tourism facilities. It is located between Batam and Singapore, separated only by 16 kilometers, and can be reached from Singapore in 20 minutes.
Earlier, Funtasy Island site manager Oke Yusma Nurjaman told thejakartapost.com that the development of the island, which was designed with a concept of being an independent city, had utilized Rp 2 trillion (US$145.91 million) worth of investment.
She said although the development of Funtasy Island was still ongoing, all facilities offered had been sold out, with the majority of buyers being Singaporeans.
“Actually, it is open for local people, but we are targeting consumers from Singapore,” said Oke. (ebf)
