REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, NATUNA -- House of Representative Speaker Bambang Soesatyo "Bamsoet" said Indonesia has to fully control "Flight Information Region" (FIR) over the Natuna islands to strengthen control over air space in the border area. Natuna borders on South China Sea in which Pacific big powers, China and the United States have security interest.

"FIR over Natuna has to be put immediately under full control of Indonesia. FIR concerns not only flight safety, but also the country's sovereignty," Bamsoet said during a working visit to the border area together with the country's military chief, Air Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto on Monday.

FIR over Natuna is still controlled by Singapore.

Bambang said currently the government puts border areas high in priority in its development program. The paradigm of development in border areas should be based on national security and improvement of the local people's welfare, he added.

"Indonesia's territorial security is determined partly by security in border areas. Therefore, development of military base in the Natuna islands is very important. It is not impossible we also would build and strengthen military bases in other outermost islands," he said.

He said he was impressed by the master plan of military base development complete with super high technology military equipment, adding,"This indicates the seriousness of the government to strengthen the national defense and security."

'Certainly development of military base should not be at the expense of welfare based development in the Natuna islands. Natuna already has Integrated Fishery and Marine Center (SKPT) in the Lampa strait, built by the Marine and Fisheries Ministry in 2016," he said.

The SKPT occupying a 16.8 hectares of land is expected to contribute considerably to improving the welfare of the Natuna's people, who are mostly fishermen, he added.

He said the House of Representatives strongly supports the program to give priority to development of the country's outer islands, frontier areas and backward regions. The House of Representatives already has a Watchdog Team for Border Areas Development, he said.

"From various studies and results of visits to various border areas , the Team already has evaluation of various problems in border areas. We also are studying recommendations to consider making the National Body for Border Area Management, now under the Home Affairs Ministry, a separate agency to enable it to focus more on development of border areas," he said.

He said in 2017 , the House approved a total budget of Rp1.61 trillion to finance various development programs in border areas involving 18 ministries and other related agencies. "The problems in border areas are very complex, but through cooperation between the House and government, I am confident, the development programs in the various border areas could be carried out properly and fast," he said.

The military chief with other senior military leaders and the House Speaker flew to the Natuna islands boarding an Air Force's Boeing 737-400 aircraft escorted by four F-16 fighter aircraft.

The military chief Air Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto said the visit to Natuna coincided with with military exercise in the sea off the Natuna islands. "It happened the F-16 combat aircraft have exercise in Natuna, and I passed instruction to hold patrol as well in the FIR area," he said.

In addition the escort was necessary as the Flight Information Region (FIR) is not yet fully controlled by Indonesia, Hadi said.

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