President Prabowo Subianto has ruled that the four contested islands in northern Sumatra will fall under the administrative jurisdiction Aceh Province in a decisive move to resolve a prolonged territorial dispute.
The official announcement was delivered by Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi following a high-level meeting at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Tuesday, June 17, 2025.
“Based on documentation and supporting data held by the government, the President has decided that administratively these four islands belong to Aceh,” Prasetyo told reporters.
The four islands − Mangkir Kecil, Mangkir Besar, Panjang, and Lipan − had been at the center of a decades-long boundary disagreement between Aceh and North Sumatra.
The decision was made during a coordination meeting involving Aceh Governor Muzakir “Mualem” Manaf, North Sumatra Governor Bobby Nasution, and Minister of Home Affairs Tito Karnavian, while President Prabowo was en route to Russia on an official visit.
The controversy reignited earlier this year after the Ministry of Home Affairs issued Ministerial Decree No. 300.2.2-2138/2025, which reassigned the administrative status of the islands to North Sumatra. This decision drew sharp criticism from Aceh’s provincial administration and various civil society groups, who claimed that the islands historically belonged to Aceh and that the decree contradicted existing historical and legal references.
While the home ministry cited technical survey data as the basis for its decision, Aceh countered with historical documents, local community testimonies, and administrative records predating Indonesia’s regional autonomy era.
The dispute, having escalated into a political standoff, prompted the House of Representatives (DPR) to intervene. Deputy House Speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad confirmed that President Prabowo had responded to the House’s appeal and officially taken over the matter.
“In our communication with the President, he confirmed that he would take control of the situation involving the island boundaries between Aceh and North Sumatra,” Dasco said last Saturday, June 14, 2025.
Prabowo’s decision is expected to provide long awaited clarity, particularly for residents living on or near the islands who have faced years of administrative uncertainty.
Analysts suggest this case highlights the urgent need for a comprehensive review of Indonesia’s regional boundary management policies. The use of overlapping legal instruments ranging from ministerial decrees to local government claims has led to increasing tensions in multiple provinces.
With Indonesia’s vast archipelagic geography, disputes over island and maritime borders remain a sensitive and strategic issue. The resolution of this case sets a precedence for how similar conflicts might be handled in the future not only based on technical surveys, but also factoring in historical, cultural, and community-based considerations.
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