This was announced by State Secretary Minister Prasetyo Hadi after a limited meeting with several stakeholders at the Presidential Palace, Jakarta, on Tuesday.
“The government has decided that the four islands, namely Panjang Island, Lipan Island, Mangkir Gadang Island, and Mangkir Ketek Island, based on government documents, are administratively a part of Aceh’s administrative territory,” he said.
According to the minister, the limited meeting, which was chaired by President Prabowo online, was held to find a solution to the dispute.
Hadi said that the President made his decision based on reports from the Ministry of Home Affairs and supporting government data.
The Ministry of State Secretariat also arranged a meeting between the Governor of Aceh, Muzakir Manaf, and the Governor of North Sumatra, Bobby Nasution, to discuss the ownership of the four islands, which are located on the administrative boundary of the two provinces.
The meeting was also attended by Minister of Home Affairs, Tito Karnavian, and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Sufmi Dasco.
The dispute over the four islands emerged after the issuance of the Decree of the Minister of Home Affairs Number 300.2.2-2138 of 2025 concerning the Provision and Updating of Codes and Data on Government Administrative Areas and Islands, which was enforced on April 25, 2025.
In the decree, the Ministry of Home Affairs described the four islands as a part of the Central Tapanuli district, North Sumatra. They were earlier included in the administrative area of Aceh Singkil district, Aceh.
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Translator: Andi Firdaus, Raka Adji
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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