Status of Indonesia's sovereign rights in the north natuna sea conflict area consequences of China's nine-dash line claim

Abstract

The existence of sovereign rights in the North Natuna Sea has begun to be disturbed since China's claim of traditional fishing rights was strengthened by the nine-dash line claim. This claim includes the North Natuna Sea area into China's territorial sea, which makes this area a conflict area. The problem in this research is the existence of traditional fishing ground rights in UNCLOS III 1982 and the impact of the nine-dash line claim on Indonesia's sovereign rights in the conflict area of ??the North Natuna Sea. This study uses a normative legal research method with a statutory and conceptual approach. The results of the study explained that the 1982 UNCLOS III did not regulate traditional fishing ground, and the impact of the nine-dash line claim is very significant, as can be seen from the activities of Chinese fishers in the North Natuna Sea, which are supported by Chinese coast guard vessels, which have disrupted Indonesia's enjoyment of its sovereign rights. Thus, it can be concluded that the traditional fishing ground rights with the nine-dash line claim are not based on international law but are only based on China's unilateral claims and create conflicts that impact Indonesia.