Alvin
April 2nd, 2005, 02:18 AM
Haha, I didn't know where to post this interesting news piece ...
but one worth posting in light of our recent losses of Sipadan/Ligitan and the current row with Malaysia over Ambalat. :D
Indonesia gets bigger
Brendan O'Keefe
April 02, 2005
INDONESIA might be able to extend its sea boundaries, albeit by only a small distance, after Monday's earthquake off Sumatra thrust huge slabs of coral reef above the water line, forming new islands.
Vast areas of coral reef that fringe islands such as the hard-hit Nias were thrust upwards by the force of the 8.7-magnitude quake and now jut up to 1.5m above the sea.
University of NSW lecturer in the law of the sea, Rosemary Rayfuse, yesterday told The Australian that it was possible, in theory, for Indonesia to extend its 12-nautical-mile (22.22km) territorial sea boundary and its 200-nautical-mile economic exclusion zone. "If (the reefs) become a permanent low-water elevation, and the reef itself is a kilometre offshore, it's possible they might redraw the baselines (from which the EEZ is measured)," Associate Professor Rayfuse said. That means Indonesia could have an extra kilometre of sea to fish or to use for oil exploration.
Geoscience Australia marine and petroleum division law of the sea expert Phil Symonds said: "As that territorial sea baseline changes over time and the nautical charts are updated to reflect that, then the state can use that new territorial sea basepoint to redefine its jurisdiction."
but one worth posting in light of our recent losses of Sipadan/Ligitan and the current row with Malaysia over Ambalat. :D
Indonesia gets bigger
Brendan O'Keefe
April 02, 2005
INDONESIA might be able to extend its sea boundaries, albeit by only a small distance, after Monday's earthquake off Sumatra thrust huge slabs of coral reef above the water line, forming new islands.
Vast areas of coral reef that fringe islands such as the hard-hit Nias were thrust upwards by the force of the 8.7-magnitude quake and now jut up to 1.5m above the sea.
University of NSW lecturer in the law of the sea, Rosemary Rayfuse, yesterday told The Australian that it was possible, in theory, for Indonesia to extend its 12-nautical-mile (22.22km) territorial sea boundary and its 200-nautical-mile economic exclusion zone. "If (the reefs) become a permanent low-water elevation, and the reef itself is a kilometre offshore, it's possible they might redraw the baselines (from which the EEZ is measured)," Associate Professor Rayfuse said. That means Indonesia could have an extra kilometre of sea to fish or to use for oil exploration.
Geoscience Australia marine and petroleum division law of the sea expert Phil Symonds said: "As that territorial sea baseline changes over time and the nautical charts are updated to reflect that, then the state can use that new territorial sea basepoint to redefine its jurisdiction."