RRI.CO.ID, Jakarta – The Indonesian government has officially sealed off two small islands, Maratua Island in East Kalimantan and Umang Island in Banten. This strong action was taken to make sure the rules on island use in Indonesia are followed.

Indonesian Director General of Marine and Fisheries Resources Supervision, Pung Nugroho Saksono, conveyed this at a press conference in Jakarta on Wednesday, April 16, 2026. The Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries sealed off operations at the Maratua Island resort in East Kalimantan on April 10, 2026, which was found to be managed by foreigners without proper permits.

“For the management of these outermost islands, there must be a recommendation permit from the Ministry. Because these are classified as small islands. Well, a small island is defined as being under 100 kilometers. Therefore, we took decisive action, we halted operations and temporarily sealed the area until all permits and requirements were met,” he said.

Furthermore, the Ministry also sealed off Umang Island in Banten following viral posts on social media claiming the island was being offered for 65 billion rupiah, or nearly 4 million US dollars. Although the ad was removed, the government is still investigating the ownership status.

Pung stated, “We discovered on social media that Umang Island was being sold. An island being sold, is that even allowed? That’s why the government intervened. Yesterday afternoon, we sealed it off again. And upon inspection, it turned out the island is owned by an individual. This raises the question: is that even permissible? That’s why, after sealing it off, we will conduct a further investigation into the regulations and ownership.”

Through this action, he emphasized that the sealing is not intended to shut down jobs or halt business operations. The primary objective is to ensure that all business operators comply with the law, particularly regarding the processing of valid documents such as the Agreement on the Conformity of Marine Space Utilization Activities and valid marine tourism permits.