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Reimagining Indonesia-China Relationship

I visited China for ten days from 18 to 27 April 2024. The journey covered three cities, two hi-tech companies, a number of government institutions, six academic institutions, various museums, and surely a lot of delicious food. For me, it was the longest working visit to a single country in the last decade or so. I have witnessed a lot and I have learnt a lot.

The visit was made possible due to a program organised by the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Jakarta. We, seven Indonesian scholars from different disciplines, took part in the program and each of us is left with deep impression. The journey has helped us understand China better by witnessing closely different events, places, traditions, and listening to different views from Chinese Scholars, government officials and ordinary people. Here is my short note.

Continue reading “Reimagining Indonesia-China Relationship”

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Australian Scholarship Sharing

On 24 March 2024, I shared my experience in studying in Australia with scholarship. I was asked to do so by the Indonesian Students Association of Australia (PPIA) and I was so excited. This year is important for me as a scholar. Twenty years ago, I started my study at UNSW, Sydney with the Australian Development Scholarship (ADS). Now the scholarship is known as the Australia Awards Scholarship (AAS). It was like a blink of an eye, two decades have passed. Here I am. I have been back in Indonesia for ten years since the finish line of my PhD. I did my Master and PhD degree in Australia. Same state, different universities, same area of research. Those experiences have enriched my life, I am sure.

Feeling grateful about what  I have received  through scholarship, I started to write about my journey and experiences since 2004. Also 20 years ago. I started as an amateur blogger sharing my thoughts through a platform called Blogspot. I then migrated to WordPress, which I am still using until now. My habit of sharing through writing has apparently given me changes to share knowledge and practical tips on studies and general and Australian scholarship in particular. I consider my participation at the event organised by PPIA was one my ways to pay back.

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Leadership Training at the State Islamic University of Sunan Kalijaga

I was invited by a student organisation at the State Islamic University (UIN) of Sunan Kalijaga in Jogja. It was about leadership and was certainly not my first talk about the topic. I have spoken about leadership before at several events for student and other young people. However, at this UIN event I felt there needed to be a distinctive, more Islamic touch. As a Hindu Believer, I certainly have to study this matter seriously. In the car, while waiting for the event to start, I thought hard about making a plan.

I remember a figure, Umar bin Khattab, who is said to be a respected figure in Islamic history. I contacted a friend for discussion. In about 15 minutes, I should be able to add leadership material that is unique to Islam. This is also important for me to ensure because I have included Hindu leadership teachings, Asta Brata, in my material. Of course there is no problem, but it would be sweeter if at the event at UIN I also presented the teachings of Islamic leadership with the same level of seriousness.

I was the only speaker at an event at UIN. The most challenging thing was because it was right before breaking the fast (Iftar). I was filled with doubt that the 100 or so participants would not be able to concentrate or choose to rest their intellectual engines. Turns out I was wrong. Their eyes sparkled, their smiles looked fresh and their nodding heads radiated energy.

I really enjoyed the interaction. I did try by best, I believe.

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Participating at the Australia-ASEAN Maritime Summit in Melbourne

It was a great privilege for me to be invited to the Australia-ASEAN Maritime Summit. From 4-6 March 2024, the Honourable Anthony Albanese MP, Prime Minister of Australia, hosted leaders from Southeast Asia for the 2024 Special Summit to Commemorate the 50th Anniversary of ASEAN-Australia Dialogue Relations. The Special Summit marked an historic elevation in Australia’s ties with ASEAN, recognised in the Melbourne Declaration – A Partnership for the Future.

a picture with ANCORS alumni participating at the event – ANCORS is my alma mater for PhD

Alongside the Leaders’ engagement, the Special Summit’s success owed much to thematic tracks on Business, Emerging Leaders, Climate and Clean Energy, and Maritime Cooperation. I am happy to be the part of the  the Maritime Cooperation Forum. I was there as an academia, learning about how to foster deeper cooperation between ASEAN and Australia. The Special Summit also helped me build long-lasting connections with scholars from different countries.

The Special Summit program and outcomes not only represented what ASEAN and Australia have jointly achieved over the past fifty years – since Australia became ASEAN’s first Dialogue Partner – but also everything we aim to achieve in the next fifty. For more information, we can visit the Special Summit website at aseanaustralia.pmc.gov.au.

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Teaching Maritime Boundary Issues at NUS, Singapore

The National University of Singapore (NUS), in collaboration with the Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security (ANCORS) regularly conduct training on maritime boundaries. This year, the training was held on 27-29 February 2024 and I was honored to be of the trainers.

participants and trainers

The Workshop had a record number of 56 participants from diverse professional backgrounds, including diplomats, hydrographers, lawyers and academics. The 2024 Workshop welcomed, for the first time, 9 participants from 5 Pacific Islands Countries: Fiji, Palau, Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu. ASEAN member states continued their active engagement with this workshop series, with 31 participants in this year’s workshop from Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Viet Nam. In addition the program also welcome participants from the Bahamas, Chile, Egypt, Maldives, Oman joining us this year. The Workshop had participants from 22 countries.

me teaching a small group on technical aspects of maritime boundary delimitation

I shared a session with Clive Schofield, my former supervisor, on the technical aspects of maritime boundary delimitation. It was fun. I had to opportunity to share some of my old and new animations to visually explain complex issues of maritime boundary delimitation. I also helped participants during negotiation exercises.  I was so glad to participate and for meeting some good friends.

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Teaching at UNY from the Airport

On 17 April 2023,  I was invited by my colleague at the State University fo Yogyakarta (UNY) to speak at a seminar/workshop. It was about international collaboration. The content is something that I have been familiar with for the last couple of years. I said yes even though it was not easy. I arrived from Singapore and I was still at the airport by the time I was scheduled to speak.

My flight was delayed for more than 30 minutes and it was too late for my session. The organiser was nice enough to move my session to a later schedule with a hope that I would be able to make it. I did, in fact, but it was not from a proper place. I could not reach a more representative spot at the airport until my schedule was on, so I sat down on the floor and performed.

It was an important session, attended by leaders and management of UNY. I show the room and it was a seminar with big audiences. I better be good. I started by showing the audience a picture of me sitting down on the floor while giving a lecture. I think it worked for an intermezzo. The lecture went well.

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Educating Glocal Citizens

SEAMEO RIHED invited me to be a keynote speaker at a conference held in Jakarta on 4 April 2017 on on Curriculum Structure and Development for Southeast Asian Higher Education. Here is my abstract:

EDUCATING GLOCAL CITIZEN:
Education Towards Locally-Rooted and Globally-Engaged Generation

I Made Andi Arsana
Head, Office of International Affairs
Lecturer, Department of Geodetic Enggineering
Universitas Gadjah Mada, Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Abstract

Continue reading “Educating Glocal Citizens”

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ICST: The Roles of Oil Concession Definition in Maritime Boundary Delimitation

I was invited to as one of the keynote speaker at the Geomaritime Symposium at the International Conference on Science and Technology (ICST) organised by Universitas Gadjah Mada. I delivered a paper on 12 July 2017 and share a stage with my two colleagues, Gede Karang from Udayana University and Mas Aji from a university in Malaysia. Here is my abstract:

The Roles of Oil Concession Definition in Maritime Boundary Delimitation:
A Critical Review on the Case of the Sulawesi Sea and the South China Sea

I Made Andi Arsana
madeandi@ugm.ac.id

Department of Geodetic Engineering, Faculty of Engineering
Universitas Gadjah Mada, Indonesia

ABSTRACT

In the absence of agreed maritime boundaries, States usually have their unilaterally claimed boundary lines. In many cases, these lines represent the most forward possible line such States would want to he the final boundary lines. Thus, such lines are also known as forward positions, which are usually used by coastal States as their initial position in negotiating their maritime boundaries. In the case of Indonesia’s maritime boundaries, for example, these forward positions have been depicted clearly on its official map so they become obvious to its neighbours.

In the Sulawesi Sea, where maritime boundaries between Indonesia and Malaysia are pending, both States, using oil concession definition, have proposed their maritime claims defined by their forward positions. Indonesia, on one side, utilises oil concession it defined since the 1960s in defining its forward position. Malaysia, on the other hand, started to define its forward positions and then define oil concessions within those forward positions. The utilisation of oil concession definition to represent maritime claims has also been the case in the South China Sea as demonstrated by, for example, China and Vietnam.

This research presentation analyses the roles of oil concession definitions in defining forward position and how they may affect the delimitation of maritime boundaries between coastal States. The cases in the Sulawesi Sea and the South China Sea are investigated with reference to relevant cases in different parts of the world. Findings and conclusions are then presented.

Here is the cover of my presentation:

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ASEAN Credit Transfer System – My Cambodian Trip

Universities in ASEAN have been collaborating closely to encourage students mobility around ASEAN member countries. Member of a consortium, ASEAN University Network (AUN), with more than 30 members, are in close collaboration to make the idea a reality. We already have our credit transfer system called ASEAN Credit Transfer System (ACTS), where within the framework, students from ASEAN can study in different universities in ASEAN and the credit of subjects they take will be recognised by their home university. Universitas Gadjah Mada is a party to that system.

On 3 to 4 July 2017 I was assigned to represent Universitas Gadjah Mada in my capacity as the Head of the Office of International Affairs in a meeting in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. We discussed the progress and development of ACTS and each university had to present reports illustrating how they have implemented ACTS. It was interesting to observe that mobility of students in ASEAN needs a lot of improvement. We need more students traveling among ASEAN countries in order of young people to understand each other better. We are now facing ASEAN Economic Community so we need to collaborate. Collaboration without mutual understanding is impossible.

Btw, it was my second visit to Cambodia and it was fun. My message to ASEAN students: travel more and know your neighbours, please 🙂

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Maritime Boundaries and International Business

When I stared learning about maritime boundary issues, back in 2004, I did not quite expect that the expertise will bring em to meet a lot of people from different disciplines. While interacting with people from legal, social and political backgrounds has now become a regular thing, to be invited in a forum of international business is a certainly quite unexpected.

For the first time I was invited to talk about the relationship between maritime boundary issues and international business by the State Polytechnic of Bali (PNB). In the seminar I spoke with two other speakers and specifically discuss the impact of pending maritime boundaries to international business. Maritime security and regional safety were among other things that I discussed with audiences from different background.  I has always been fun to discuss with people with educational background that is completely different from mine. To me, the discussion was a perspective-enriching. Here is a video taken by Bali TV and was aired the night after the seminar. Enjoy!