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Four Indonesian islands returned to Aceh
President Prabowo Subianto announced yesterday that the small atolls will pass from North Sumatra to Aceh, putting an end to a long-standing dispute. The issue concerns rich gas deposits discovered off the islands, the governor of the conservative region admitted. Prabowo is seeking greater support in the region.
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Jakarta (AsiaNews/Agencies) – Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has officially transferred four islands – Lipan, Panjang, Mangkir Gadang and Mangkir Ketek –to the Aceh Special Region, putting an end to an administrative dispute with the neighbouring province of North Sumatra.
The decision was announced yesterday at the end of a cabinet meeting, which was also attended by the governors of the two provinces involved.
The dispute began when a ministerial decree issued on 25 April assigned the islands to Central Tapanuli District (North Sumatra), sparking protests and controversy in Aceh, which has claimed jurisdiction over them for years.
Interior Minister Tito Karnavian said Prabowo’s decision was based on official documents dating back more than 30 years, including a decree from 24 November 1992 that explicitly included the islands in Aceh’s Singkil District.
“We have found the original, yellowed but still intact, which clearly confirms that the islands belong to Aceh,” Tito said.
Governors Muzakir Manaf (Aceh) and Bobby Nasution (North Sumatra) attended the meeting via video conference and signed an agreement formally recognising Aceh’s jurisdiction over the islands.
“This decision brings clarity to a dispute that has generated unnecessary tension,” Muzakir said. Nasution urged the population “not to give in to misinformation or divisive rhetoric”.
The islands are said to be uninhabited, or at least without permanent residents, but they have an important strategic value since they are located near gas exploration areas – Offshore South West Aceh and Offshore North West Aceh – run by the company Conrad Asia Energy.
According to the company, the area could contain up to 214 billion cubic feet of marketable gas.
“This is the real reason for the renewed interest in these islands,” Muzakir admitted. The autonomy of the region guarantees it greater revenues from oil and gas.
The spread of Islam in Indonesia began in Aceh and even today the region remains a generally more conservative area where Islamic law is in place.
Over the centuries Aceh tried to remain independent, rejecting all attempts at colonisation and occupation by the Dutch and then the Japanese during the Second World War.
However, with Sukarno, the first president of Indonesia, the province, still inhabited mostly by indigenous people, was incorporated into North Sumatra.
Requests for autonomy began in the 1970s, following the exploitation of gas deposits by US companies.
The Free Aceh Movement (GAM) clashed with the central government for decades. Only in 2005, did the two parties sign a peace agreement that granted the province greater autonomy.
It cannot be ruled out that Prabowo intends to build up support in Aceh. In last year's presidential elections, Anies Baswedan, who eventually came in second, won 78 per cent of the vote in the province.
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