DPRD Letter To Minister Of Home Affairs Asking For Return Of 4 Islands To Aceh

PHOTOS OF ILLUSTRATION / Tailana Island, one in dozens of islands in the Many Islands, Aceh Singkil (ANTARA / M Haris)

BANDA ACEH - Commission I of the Aceh People's Representative Council (DPRA) officially wrote to the Minister of Home Affairs (Mendagri) Tito Karnavian regarding the four islands in Aceh Singkil Regency that North Sumatra had taken to be asked to be returned to Aceh.

"Because historically and authentic facts on the ground, the four islands included in North Singkil District have indeed entered the Aceh administrative area," said Chairman of Commission I DPRA Iskandar Usman Al Farlaky, in Banda Aceh as reported by ANTARA, Friday, September 15.

The four islands are Mangkir Besar Island, Mangkir Ketek, Lipan Island, and Panjang Island.

Iskandar said that the polemic about the island had occurred several years ago, even a team from Aceh and also the Ministry of Home Affairs had gone down to the location to check the four islands.

According to Iskandar, the four islands are included in the Aceh region marked by a joint agreement between the North Sumatra Level I Regional Government and the 1992 Aceh Special Region Government.

The agreement was signed directly by the Governor of the Special Regional Head (KDH) Aceh Ibrahim Hasan with the Governor of North Sumatra KDH Raja Inal Siregar, and witnessed by the Minister of Home Affairs Rudini.

"From the historical aspect, since decades, the island has also been inhabited by the people of Aceh," he said.

The origin of the naming of the four islands, as stated by members of the DPRA, was also found in a copy of the decree by the Head of the Aceh Special Region Agrarian Inspection dated June 17, 1965, as the island of Mangkir Rajeuk, Tjut, Lipan, and Panjang.

So far, continued Iskandar, there has been a stake that has been built by the Aceh Government on the island since 2012. In fact, there are already fishermen's buildings and shelters built by the Aceh Government together with the Aceh Singkil Regency Government on Panjang Island, which is the outermost island of the four islands.

"In terms of facto, it proves that the island is in the Aceh region," he said.

Therefore, he asked the Minister of Home Affairs to immediately revise his decision Number 100.1-6117 of 2022 concerning the Provision and Update of the Government and Island Administrative Regional Data Code.

"We also ask the Acting Governor of Aceh to be more intense in building a lobby with the Minister of Home Affairs, so that this can be returned back to the Singkil area," said Iskandar.

To note, the Minister of Home Affairs had previously issued Decree Number050-145 of 2022 dated February 14, 2022, and established the transition of administrative areas for the four islands that were previously included in the Aceh Singkil area, and have now switched to Central Tapanuli Regency, North Sumatra.

The four islands that entered North Sumatra were Mangkir Besar Island, Mangkir Kecil Island, Lipan Island and Panjang Island. In fact, in terms of the islands are in the islands of Aceh Singkil Regency.