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Indonesia to strengthen presence in Karang Singa
Sovereignty reaffirmed on maritime border.
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ndonesia will build a lighthouse on Karang Singa in Riau Islands province next month, in the latest move by the government to reaffirm the sovereignty of Indonesian territory near the maritime border with Singapore and Malaysia.
The plan was announced in a recent visit made by Home Minister Tito Karnavian, Deputy Defense Minister Lt. Gen. Muhammad Herindra, Maritime Security Agency (Bakamla) chief Vice Adm. Aan Kurnia and Riau Islands Governor Ansar Ahmad.
Speaking after visiting the area, Tito underlined the strategic importance of Karang Singa, which is also known as Carter Rif, considering its proximity to the territorial waters of other countries.
Karang Singa is a shoal of rock located off the coast of Bintan Island, Riau Islands province. It is situated near the disputed South Ledge, a low-tide elevation that is claimed by both Malaysia and Singapore.
Karang Singa is also situated in close proximity to Pulau Batu Puteh and Middle Rocks, all of which were also part of a territorial dispute between Malaysia and Singapore that was brought to the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
In 2008, the ICJ ruled that Pulau Batu Puteh was Singaporean territory and determined Middle Rocks as Malaysian territory. The court also ruled that South Ledge belonged to the country that had sovereignty in the territorial waters in which it was located.
Read also: Singapore gets Pedra Branca: What’s next?
Tito said with the planned development of Karang Singa, the government sought to strengthen its claim over one of its outermost territories.
He pointed out that Malaysia had built permanent structures, including a helipad, on the nearby Middle Rocks, while on Karang Singa, which is in Indonesian territory, the government only has maritime buoys as a marker of its territory.
“Malaysia has built a permanent structure [on Middle Rocks], while in our territory [Karang Singa], we only have buoys, which are temporary structures,” said Tito, adding that the Defense Ministry would be in charge of the construction of the lighthouse on the island.
“What is important is that we cannot let a repeat of Sipadan and Ligitan [Islands]. We cannot afford to lose an inch of our territory.”
Tito was referring to the territorial dispute between Indonesia and Malaysia over the two small islands off the coast of East Kalimantan. The ICJ ruled in 2002 that Sipadan and Ligitan islands were Malaysian territory as a result of Kuala Lumpur’s effective occupancy of the islands and because of Jakarta’s tardiness in preparing a legitimate claim.
Herindra said the Defense Ministry would start the construction of the lighthouse in Karang Singa on February, adding that the ministry would conduct further talks with the Transportation Ministry to hash out the details of other infrastructure that would be constructed in Karang Singa.
Separately, head of the Riau Islands Information and Communication Agency, Hasan, said a helipad, a lighthouse and a monitoring post would be constructed on the island and these were slated to be finished in 2023. The construction of the facilities was estimated to cost Rp 45 billion (US$3.14 million). (ami)
