Indonesia-Singapore border

The Indonesia-Singapore border is a maritime border in the Straits of Singapore between Indonesia's Riau Islands which lie to the south of the border, and the islands of Singapore which lie to the north. The Straits of Singapore is one of the region's busiest waterways as it is the main channel for Singapore's ports.

A portion of the border between the two countries has been determined and agreed to. However, the parts of the border which touch the two countries' borders with Malaysia, which also shares territorial waters in the area, have not been determined.

The border

Agreements

The Agreement Stipulating the Territorial Sea Boundary Lines between Indonesia and the Republic of Singapore in the Strait of Singapore signed by Indonesia and Singapore on 25 May 1973 determines the common territorial sea border as a series of straight lines connecting six coordinate points located in the Straits of Singapore. Indonesia ratified the agreement on 3 December 1973 while Singapore ratified the agreement on 29 August 1974. [Citation | last = | first = | author-link = | last2 = | first2 = | author2-link = | title = Territorial Sea Boundary: Indonesia-Singapore | journal = Limits in the Seas (US Department of State, Bureau of Intelligence and Research) | volume = 60 | issue = | pages = | date = 11 November 1974 | year = 1974 | url =http://www.state.gov/documents/organization/61500.pdf | doi = | id = ]

The distance of the border is 24.55 nautical miles. Three of the six coordinates lie equidistant from Indonesian and Singaporen shores while the remaining are negotiated points with two lying closer to the Indonesian shores. Point 2 lies towards the landward side of Indonesia's baseline.

Undetermined border

The remaining portions of the Indonesia-Singapore border to the east and west of the agreed boundary have yet to be determined by the two countries and negotiations are on going to come to an agreement. It is apparent Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore would have overlapping claims in the area adjacent to the area because of the proximity of the countries. Two common tripoints where the territories of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore meet, would have to be negotiated as the current Indonesia-Singapore territorial sea boundary under the 1973 agreement does not extend far enough to touch the Malaysia-Singapore/Indonesia-Malaysia boundaries. With the International Court of Justice's decision on the sovereignty of Pedra Branca, Middle Rocks and South Ledge - all of them lying at the eastern entrance to the Straits of Singapore - it is expected that negotiations for the border between the three countries can finally be settled.

History

The Indonesia-Singapore border came into being as part of the imaginary line created by the 1824 treaty between Great Britain and the Netherlands which divided up the Malay archipelago into spheres of influence between the two colonial powers. The current border in the Straits of Singapore is based on this line whereby territories north of the line were placed under British influence (and ultimately colonisation) while those south of the line were under Dutch influence. Singapore was already a British settlement at that time and was allowed to remain so.

The line became the boundary between British Malaya and the Dutch East Indies, and later between the colony of Singapore and independent Indonesia, the successor state of the Dutch East Indies.

Between 16 September 1963 and 4 August 1965, the border became part of the maritime frontier between Indonesia and Malaysia when Singapore joined the Federation of Malaysia as a constituent state. In then became independent on 5 August 1965.

Crossings

ee also

*Indonesia-Malaysia border
*Malaysia-Singapore border

References