The Government Asked To Give Right Decisions On The EEZ Boundary With Vietnam

Illustration. (Photo: Doc. Antara)

JAKARTA - For decades, disputes related to the determination of the boundary for the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) between Indonesia and Vietnam in the North Natuna Sea area have not received an agreement.

Much of the abundant natural wealth is stored in the North Natuna Sea, according to a CSIS report, Indonesia Ocean Justice Initiative (IOJI) researcher Imam Prakoso said the North Natuna Sea has 160 trillion oil and gas cubic feet and 12 billion barrels of oil. In addition, the potential for fish in the North Natuna Sea is no less striking.

The North Natuna Sea is included in the fisheries management area of the Republic of Indonesia: WPP-RI 711, along with the waters of the Karimata Strait and the South China Sea.

The huge marine potential is said to have not been managed properly, there are still many coastal communities that have not been able to be prospered through the abundance of this marine resource.

In addition, in July 2022, the negotiation process was resumed where this time it was the 14th negotiation where the Indonesian government was reportedly ready to provide concessions for Vietnam.

Knowing this, various fishing and maritime organizations participated in voting for the interests of fisheries and sovereignty in Indonesia and hoped that the government could make the right and considered decisions.

"It is worth remembering that Indonesia is one of the largest archipelagic countries in the world. Indonesia also has the potential for wealth from very large maritime natural resources that have not been managed optimally to date," said the founder and administrator from the Central Leadership Council of the Indonesian Maritime Safety and Security Expert Association (AKKMI) on Monday 15 November.

Several other figures also hope that the government can always prioritize the interests of the Indonesian people.

"The Indonesian government should continue to prioritize national interests, including in the management of Indonesia's EEZ, which is bordered by Vietnam. The national interests in question include increasing the capacity and ability of Indonesian fishermen, both quantitatively and qualitatively, with an effective, efficient and environmentally friendly approach to fishing technology," said the Chairman of Maritime Muda Nusantara, Emperor of the End in a written statement on Wednesday, November 2.

"The issue of EEZ itself is a political issue, the state must fight for it to the last drop of blood," said Chairman of KONN Suwarno Tarigan.

"We need to have a strong identity to defend the sovereignty of the country", he continued.

"Don't give concessions to Vietnam in negotiations to determine the limit of EEZ with Vietnam, this is a loss for Indonesia, because it has lost part of the area that has been claims by Indonesia so far," said the chairman of the Aceh Province KNTI, Azwar Anas some time ago.

The provision of the EEZ concession for Vietnam is said to have a negative impact and is very detrimental to fishermen, according to the Secretary General of the Indonesian Fishermen's Union (SNI) Budi Laksana.

Until now, the negotiations on the determination of the EEZ border with Vietnam have not produced profits for Indonesia, especially regarding state sovereignty, according to SNI.

On the other hand, IOJI Co-Founder Andreas Aditya Salim conveyed that illegal fishing activities or alleged illegal fishing by Vietnamese fishing vessels in the North Natuna sea area in the ZEE negotiation area between Indonesia and Vietnam were still available during July to September 2022 in a press briefing on Maritime Security Analysis on Monday 15 November.

He assessed that there was no good faith and there was no spirit of cooperation from the Vietnamese government regarding the process of negotiating the ZEE limit, which is still ongoing, when viewed from the operation of the Vietnamese ship to the north of the continental shelf.