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A fisheries organization on Thursday urged the government to stop granting permits for the private-sector use of small islands, in response to recent claims that some islands had been offered for sale.

The government’s authority to issue permits is spelled out in a law on small island and coastal area management, said Riza Damanik, secretary general of the Fisheries Justice Coalition (Kiara).

With such permits, companies can obtain the rights to exploit islands and the waters around them, from the surface down to the seabed. These rights can also be traded or used to guarantee bank debts, Riza said.

The permits are covered by 20-year certificates with extendable 20-year options.

Riza said that the practice of granting such permits did not complement government programs aimed at increasing the ability of security agencies to monitor islands.

There is limited public access to most of the country’s small islands, he said. “This means that without good supervision, it would be very easy for anyone, including foreign investors, to claim possession of islands,” Riza said.

Riza claimed that more than 6,000 small islands had effectively been handed over to investors. “It’s risky to commercialize islands, given the lack of knowledge and poor supervision of [such] assets,” Riza said.

Recent news reports claimed that a Web site, privateislandonline.com, had put three islands in Mentawai district, West Sumatra, up for sale. Last week, the Navy also filed a protest over Malaysia’s claim to Jemur Island in Riau province.

Yusron Ihza Mahendra, deputy chairman of the House of Representatives’ Commission I, which oversees defense and foreign affairs, said on Thursday that the commercialization of small islands could be used to help extend Indonesia’s sovereignty over those areas.

“Securing islands should not just be the domain of government agencies,” Yusron said.

“It’s also necessary to empower traditional citizens in coastal areas to help keep an eye on these areas. Who knows what private owners might do? They may be building labs or military facilities.”

A Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries official said last week that local governments should supervise islands. The central government, meanwhile, is now identifying more than 4,900 unnamed and uninhabited islands across the country.