Govt To Complete Certification Of 92 Outlaying Islands In 2015

Jakarta, Dec 23 (Antara) - The Agrarian and Spatial Planning Ministry has set itself the target of completing the certification of 92 outlaying islands in the country in 2015. "I have the target to complete the certification of all outlaying islands in 2015. We have checked it and found that we have the same data as that of the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries on the number of outlaying islands which reaches 92," Agrarian and Spatial Planning Minister Ferry Mursyidan Baldan said on Tuesday. He said that his ministry and the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries already had the same definition on outlaying islands where the land was measured and was not submerged when the tidal water was on the rise. "We will give them certificates so that they will have a strong status, which constitutes a state document and have a strong status at the international court. And if there is a dispute, we will have data," the minister said. Regarding the presence of foreign investors who operate a business venture on several Indonesian outlaying islands, the minister said he would review the presence of the investors. "It is all clear. No matter whether or not the islands are inhabited they will be given certificates on behalf of the state. If there are business ventures on them, we will summon the operators to ask what they are doing there," Ferry said. He said that if the matter concerns borders of outlaying islands, one cannot operate a business venture on them at will. All countries in the world use this system, he added. "We can just move them to the other islands if the investors run a tourism business on it but if it concerns environment tourism or culture tourism, the business can stay on there as long as it provides benefit for the local people and does not merely do exploitation," the minister stated. He said that the prosperity of the local people in the border become one of the important points in making an island in the border area the front-line of the state. But he stressed that the land status of the outlaying island will remain to belong to the state.