Strategi Indonesia dalam menguruskan keselamatan sempadan maritim: kes kajian di perairan kepulauan Natuna

As an archipelagic country, Indonesia faces many problems and challenges at its maritime border area. The country also faces a variety of cross-border criminal acts that have taken place around its maritime border area. This study discusses Indonesia's strategies in managing security threats on its waters, with Natuna water areas as a case study. The purpose of this study is: firstly, to identify factors that led to the emergence of maritime border problems and security threats; secondly, to discuss the implications of maritime border security threats; thirdly, to analyze approaches adapted by the Indonesian government in handling maritime border
security threats; and fourthly, to analyze why strategies that have been carried out by the Indonesian government failed in dealing with maritime border security issues and threats particularly in the Natuna waters. This study uses a qualitative approach by using primary and secondary sources as major instrument of data gathering. Primary data were obtained through fieldwork studies, interviews with various related parties, and official statistics and reports from government documents. The secondary data were obtained through books, journals, magazines, bulletins, and newspapers, including those from internet sources. The study shows that the Indonesian waters face very dynamic and complex maritime border security challenges, not only related to the issue of overlapping claims at the Executive Economic Zone (EEZ), but also to the rise of transnational organized crimes such as illegal fishing and smuggling. In the Natuna waters, for instance, managing maritime borders has been compounded by law enforcement issues at the overlapping claim areas. Although there are many maritime law enforcement agencies that could handle maritime border security, their functions are mutually exclusive and not really integrated. This then contributes to the problems of overlapping departmental jurisdiction, human resources and functions; lack of coordination; and vague legal authorities. These issues led to interdepartmental conflicts and frictions between enforcement agencies. This study recommends that the Indonesian government should restructure maritime border regulations and enforcement agencies, so that the management of maritime border security involving various interests and agencies are more integrated. In addition, the Indonesian government needs to intensify border diplomacy in relation to EEZ boundary disputes with Malaysia and Vietnam, to ensure that maritime boundary delimitation agreements can be reached.