Indonesia wants to rename part of South China Sea as Natuna Sea

Indonesia wants to rename part of the South China Sea as the Natuna Sea.

Its Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut Binsar Panjaitan was quoted by local media as saying that it would be the right decision because the body of water was around the Natuna islands in the Riau archipelago.

Luhut said the Indonesian government was still studying the matter and that it wanted to reinforce Indonesia's claim to that part of the South China Sea which was often illegally encroached by foreign ships and aircraft.

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However, he said the proposal would first have to be brought as a motion to the United Nations.

Indonesia claims that the South China Sea encroaches into its waters, including the republic's 200 nautical miles of exclusive economic zone around the Natuna islands, located northwest of Kalimantan.

Indonesia has been forceful in defending its maritime sovereignty and in conjunction with its Independence Day celebration on Aug 17, Indonesia's Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries sank 63 foreign fishing boats which intruded into the waters of the country.

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In June, Indonesian authorities shot at a fishing boat from China for trespassing in the waters near the Natuna islands and China protested against action.

One week after the incident, Indonesian president Joko Widodo signalled the country's response by holding a special meeting with several of his ministers onboard an Indonesian Navy warship which was patrolling the surrounding waters.

In July, the Arbitration Tribunal in The Hague rejected China's claim on its historical claim over an island cluster in South China Sea after the Philippines brought it up to the tribunal.

The tribunal concluded that there was no basis for China to continue its historical rights within its nine-dash line in the South China Sea. China had marked the nine-dash line in the sea and claimed that the territory within it belonged to it.