Jakarta, Indonesianpost.com – President Prabowo Subianto has officially declared that the four islands disputed by Aceh and North Sumatra provinces—Panjang, Lipan, Mangkir Gadang, and Mangkir Ketek—are now part of Aceh’s administrative territory.
This decision was announced by State Secretary Minister Prasetyo Hadi following a limited meeting with key stakeholders at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Tuesday.
“The government has determined that Panjang Island, Lipan Island, Mangkir Gadang Island, and Mangkir Ketek Island, based on government documents, are administratively part of Aceh,” Hadi stated.
The meeting, which was chaired by President Prabowo online, aimed to resolve the long-standing dispute over the islands. According to Hadi, the decision was made based on reports from the Ministry of Home Affairs and supporting government data.
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To facilitate further discussion, the Ministry of State Secretariat arranged a meeting between the Governors of Aceh, Muzakir Manaf, and North Sumatra, Bobby Nasution, to address the ownership of the four islands. The islands, located on the administrative boundary between the two provinces, have been at the center of the dispute.
The meeting was also attended by Minister of Home Affairs Tito Karnavian and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Sufmi Dasco.
The dispute arose following the issuance of the Ministry of Home Affairs’ Decree Number 300.2.2-2138 of 2025, which relates to the Provision and Updating of Codes and Data on Government Administrative Areas and Islands, effective from April 25, 2025.
In the decree, the Ministry of Home Affairs had previously classified the four islands as part of the Central Tapanuli district in North Sumatra. Prior to this, the islands were part of the Aceh Singkil district in Aceh. (BL)