Jokowi to develop 'every inch' of Indonesia's Islands

Jakarta

PRESIDENT Joko Widodo vowed on Tuesday to develop all of Indonesia's frontier areas, including the Natuna Islands close to where it is embroiled in a dispute with China, and outlined plans to fund a massive infrastructure programme to accelerate growth in South-east Asia's biggest economy.

"We will develop areas such as Entikong, Natuna and Atambua so that the world sees Indonesia as a great nation that pays attention on every inch of its land," the Indonesian leader popularly known as Jokowi said in his annual Independence Day speech in Jakarta. His speech also focused on deregulation, social inequality and poverty eradication, as well as the threat of terrorism.

Indonesia's navy has been involved in several altercations with Chinese fishing boats and coast guard vessels off the gas-rich Natuna Islands in recent months. Beijing claims the waters around the islands as part of its traditional fishing grounds. While Indonesia is not a claimant in the broader disputes China has with several other nations over its South China Sea claims, Jokowi has sought to underscore Indonesian sovereignty in the area. On Wednesday, the navy will sink 71 impounded foreign vessels the…