Kurniawan Tri Yunanto - translated by Rosmi Julitasari
VHRmedia, Jakarta – Climate change brings about conflict among nations, related to removing frontier lines of a country. Climate change has caused little islands disappeared, where as the island is one of instruments in marking borders between two countries.
Fisheries Justice Coalition (Kiara) general secretary Riza Damanik said that to form border, countries take a frontier line based on the highest wave of coast of the most outer islands of the country. But the disappeared islands, caused by the climate change, will change the border.
This problem will be more complicated for countries which use coasts as its border, such as between Indonesia and Malaysia, Australia, Timor Leste, Vietnam, India, Philippines, Thailand, Singapore, Palau, and Kampuchea.
“Malaysia is still following their mapping result of 1979, while Indonesia is following the International Law of the Sea. The two countries will never meet. Meanwhile, they seemed neglect the impact of the climate change to border of the country,” Riza Damanik said in Jakarta, Wednesday (6/10).
According to Riza Damanik, the Ambalat case has been a source of tension between Indnesia and Malaysia, and it has to be considered by Indonesia’s government to put more attention about its territories.
“The government also has to put the climate change in international meeting. This will also guarantee traditional fishermen, as it has been regulated by Article 51 of the International Law of the Sea, about traditional coast,” Riza said.
About three thousand little islands, or 20% of islands in Indonesia, is expected to be disappeared because of the increasing the water surface, caused by the climate change. (E1)
Source: http://www.vhrmedia .com/Climate- Change-Puts- Countries- into-Conflict- about-Territorie s-news1519. html
