BNPP: Govt Should Mange Border Regions Better

Nunukan, E. Kalimantan, Dec 18 (ANTARA) - The National Agency on Border Management (BNPP) has stated that the government should learn from the experience of losing two islands to Malaysia and step up efforts to better manage the border regions of Indonesia. "Indonesia has already lost two islands, Sipadan and Ligitan, so we can`t let the same thing happen again. Therefore, the government should start thinking about improving its management of border areas," BNPB Deputy Assistant for Management in Border Areas, Ir Sunarto MM, said in a press release received by ANTARA Kaltim here on Tuesday. He noted that Indonesia had lost the two islands to Malaysia at the International Court of Justice due to �our weak economy and inefficient management of the border regions�. "For instance, at that time, a lot of Malaysian products dominated the markets of Sipadan Island � all because of the lack of economic development in the border region," Sunarto pointed out. Therefore, he said, the government should make efforts to avoid the acquisition of Indonesia`s border regions by neighbouring countries, which usually begins with their control over local economies. "We must learn from our experience of losing Sipadan and Ligitan. We shouldn`t let the same thing happen to other border regions, such as Sebatik Island and Nunukan Island," Sunarto continued. Sebatik Island, which has an area of 50,000 hectares, is divided into two parts. The northern part belongs to Malaysia, while the southern part belongs to Indonesia. "However, the whole of Sebatik Island is still in Malaysia�s control economically. Every day, the local people buy and sell daily necessities in Tawau, Malaysia," he pointed out. �The government and the local communities must pay more attention to the outermost small islands (PPKT) and border areas now, especially after losing Sipadan and Ligitan in 2002,� Sunarto said. �In its efforts to tackle the problem, the government has issued Law No. 43 of 2008 on Indonesian territory and the establishment of BNPP on September 17, 2010,� he stated. "However, the BNPP has not been supported with sufficient budget to develop its resources in border regions," Sunarto added.