Indonesia to Change Name of South China Sea to Natuna Sea
President of Indonesia Joko Widodo, commonly known as Jokowi, has vowed to transform Indonesia, which includes 17,000 islands into a ‘maritime power’, and also includes plans to improve port infrastructure, as well as plans to fund a massive infrastructure programme, according to Bloomberg.
Indonesia announced on Wednesday evening that it will seek to change the name of the South China Sea to the Natuna Sea in the area within 200 miles of its Natuna Islands, reports SCMP.
Ahmad Santosa, the Chief of Task Force 115, an agency combating illegal fishing, said the proposal will “be given to the United Nations”, adding that “if no one objects ... then it will be officially the Natuna Sea”.
The plan would involve renaming the sea surrounding the Natuna Islands, which lie to the northwest of the Indonesian part of Borneo, within their 200 nautical mile exclusive economic zone.
The government has announced that it will deploy warships, an F-16 fighter jet, surface-to-air missiles, a radar and drones to the Natunas, as well as constructing new ports and improving an airstrip.
Joko said: "Indonesia has to be actively involved in promoting the resolution on South China Sea spat through negotiation and peaceful measures. We will develop areas such as Entikong, Natuna and Atambua so that the world sees Indonesia as a great nation that pays attention on every inch of its land.”
To develop the Natuna Islands, Indonesia will also build an integrated fisheries area, which will include a 200 tonne cold storage capacity.
Developments are also set to take place in the Natuna Islands, which is close to where it is currently involved in a dispute with China in the South China Sea.
Indonesia’s navy has been involved in several altercations with Chinese fishing boats and coast guard vessels off the gas-rich Natuna Islands in recent months. Beijing claims the waters around the islands as part of its traditional fishing grounds.
The South China Sea has been the site of numerous clashes over territorial claims, with China asserting its claim more aggressively in recent months with extensive land reclamation and building of military facilities on reefs and islands in the sea.
While Indonesia doesn’t have any territorial disputes with China, and Beijing hasn’t challenged Indonesia’s control of the Natunas, Indonesian coast-guard vessels have confronted Chinese fishing boats there several times this year.
Meanwhile, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti has warned of a new style of colonialism that could take away Indonesia`s freedom.
"If we are not prudent in maintaining our freedom, it is not impossible that it would be snatched again by a new style of colonialism. A form of colonialism that no longer intimidates by using weaponry but by using economic power to colonize a country," the minister stated at a ceremony to celebrate Indonesias Independence Day on Wednesday.
