TheJakartaPost

Please Update your browser

Your browser is out of date, and may not be compatible with our website. A list of the most popular web browsers can be found below.
Just click on the icons to get to the download page.

Jakarta Post

Indonesia dismisses Mahathir's 'claim' over Riau Islands

The former Malaysian premier has ruffled his neighbors' feathers with a statement made during a political event that allegedly targeted conservative Malay constitutents.

A. Muh. Ibnu Aqil and Fadli (The Jakarta Post)
Premium
Jakarta/Batam
Fri, June 24, 2022

Share This Article

Change Size

Indonesia dismisses Mahathir's 'claim' over Riau Islands Home Minister Tito Karnavian (left) uses a pair of binoculars during a working visit in January 2022 to Karang Singa, a rocky shoal located off the coast of Bintan Island, Riau Islands province. (Kompas.com/-)

I

ndonesia has dismissed as “baseless” a statement by former Malaysian prime minister Mahathir Mohamad, who told the Malaysian people earlier this week to demand that Singapore and parts of Indonesia “be given back to us”.

Mahathir said that Singapore once belonged to the state of Johor and that Malaysia should have reclaimed it, just as it did when it won its claim against Indonesia over the Sipadan and Ligitan islands off Borneo at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in 2002. Instead, Malaysia gave up a rocky island “the size of a table” to Singapore at the same court in 2008.

The two-time prime minister was referring to Pedra Branca, which was among the several islets to the east of the Singapore Strait that had been the subject of a territorial dispute between Singapore and Malaysia since 1979. The dispute was largely resolved by the ICJ, which ruled that Pedra Branca belonged to Singapore.

“We should demand not just that Pedra Branca, or Pulau Batu Puteh, be given back to us, we should also demand Singapore as well as [Indonesia’s] Riau Islands, as they are Tanah Melayu [Malay land],” Mahathir said in a speech delivered in Malay and recorded by local media.

The statement elicited a prompt backlash from both Singapore and Indonesia.

Singapore’s speaker of parliament, Tan Chuan-Jin, responded on social media with emojis and a tweet announcing, “here we go again”.

Jakarta issued a particularly firm response, as the 96-year-old former premier had just visited the capital last week to deliver a rousing speech on the two countries’ close neighborly ties at the NasDem Party’s national congress.

to Read Full Story

  • Unlimited access to our web and app content
  • e-Post daily digital newspaper
  • No advertisements, no interruptions
  • Privileged access to our events and programs
  • Subscription to our newsletters
or

Purchase access to this article for

We accept

TJP - Visa
TJP - Mastercard
TJP - GoPay

Redirecting you to payment page

Pay per article

Indonesia dismisses Mahathir's 'claim' over Riau Islands

Rp 29,000 / article

1
Create your free account
By proceeding, you consent to the revised Terms of Use, and Privacy Policy.
Already have an account?

2
  • Palmerat Barat No. 142-143
  • Central Jakarta
  • DKI Jakarta
  • Indonesia
  • 10270
  • +6283816779933
2
Total Rp 29,000
{

Your Opinion Matters

Share your experiences, suggestions, and any issues you've encountered on The Jakarta Post. We're here to listen.

Enter at least 30 characters
0 / 30

Thank You

Thank you for sharing your thoughts. We appreciate your feedback.