Examining a Critical Geopolitics in the Determination of Indonesia and Timor Leste Land Boundaries in Noel Besi – Citrana Segment

Abstract

This study examines the determination of Indonesia and Timor Leste land boundaries, especially in the Noel Besi - Citrana segment. This study uses critical geopolitical analysis, especially the geopolitical vision according to Agnew (2013) and O Tuathail (1996), to explain the issue of land boundaries in the Noel Besi – Citrana segment. This study uses qualitative methods, in which the primary data is drawn from in-depth interviews with several key informants. The secondary data is through scientific literature and news in online media. This study shows that the issue of land boundaries in the Noel Besi – Citrana segment is caused by the different geopolitical visions of the two countries (Indonesia and Timor Leste). Although the two countries both refer to the 1904 Treaty between the Netherlands and the Portuguese, which contains a territorial boundary agreement on the island of Timor, the two countries have different geopolitical visions. Indonesia perceives the mouth of the Noel Besi River as the beginning of determining the boundary line in the east. Meanwhile, Timor Leste perceives that the delimitation should be drawn from Noel Besi, depicted in a small ditch (Nono Tuinan) in the west. The two countries then visualized the Naktuka region in constructing a map of the country's boundaries based on their respective perceptions. These results support the arguments of Agnew (2013) and O Tuathail (1996), which emphasize the role of geopolitical vision in writing the world by visualizing the surrounding environment based on perceptions as outlined in the construction of images and maps.