Home Ministry Asks To Protect Sovereignty In Sekatung Island: It Cannot Be Reduced Just For A Moment

Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Mahfud MD and Minister of Home Affairs Tito Karnavian on Sekatung Island, Natuna Regency (Photo via Ministry of Home Affairs)

JAKARTA - Minister of Home Affairs (Mendagri) Muhammad Tito Karnavian emphasized that the existence of the outermost islands must be managed properly as an effort to maintain the country's sovereignty.

Tito, who is also the Head of the National Border Management Agency (BNPP) said this during a working visit with Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Mahfud MD at the Security Post for the Outer Islands (Pamputer) Sekatung Island, Natuna Regency, Riau Islands, Wednesday, November 24 yesterday.

Minister Tito said, referring to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) on the Law of the Sea, the position of the outermost island or the outermost point is the determining point for the boundaries of state sovereignty.

"The position of Sekatung Island, even though there are no people, has a very important role in measuring the sovereignty of our territory," said Minister of Home Affairs Tito, quoted from the official website of the Ministry of Home Affairs.

From Sekatung Island, Indonesia has a territorial continental shelf that is fully sovereign as far as 12 nautical miles, and an Exclusive Economic Zone or EEZ as far as 200 miles to the north that needs to be maintained.

"That's the importance of our role, to keep this island from shifting," said Minister of Home Affairs Tito.

The Minister of Home Affairs mentioned the experience that happened to Sipadan and Ligitan some time ago. He did not want a similar incident to repeat itself on other outer islands.

After all, it is not only a matter of state sovereignty. The outer islands also have potential that can be extracted from their EEZ.

For example, the potential of ecosystems and biological resources, such as coastal vegetation, fisheries, to non-biological resources. For this reason, its existence needs to be maintained and managed properly.

"Therefore, we must endure it all out here, this determines the sovereignty of our territory, our breadth, it must not be reduced, including an inch," he said.

For information, Sekatung Island is located in the northern part of the Natuna Islands and is included in the Natuna Island group, in addition to Sedanau, Bunguran, and Midai Islands.

Sekatung Island is the most important part in efforts to maintain state sovereignty. The government continues to work hard to uphold the sovereignty, including maritime sovereignty in its own territory.