I visited Haiko, Hainan, an island in the South China Sea China, on 26-29 March 2025 for a conference on the South China Sea. It was a sub-forum of the Boao Forum for Asia (BFA) where I gave a talk on the utilization of geospatial data to promote collaboration in environmental protection in the South China Sea. The invitation came from the National Institute of the South China Sea, in collaboration with other intuitions such as China Oceanic Development Foundation, Huayang Center for Maritime Cooperation and Ocean Governance, and Boao Forum for Asia Secretariat.
I’ve always believed that learning should begin with real-world practice, not just theory. That’s why I often invite practitioners to teach in my classes. This time, I had the honor of welcoming Ambassador Dr. Damos Agusman, Indonesia’s Ambassador to Austria in Vienna, to share his insights and experiences on maritime boundary delimitation.
I have known Ambassador Djundjunan for almost ten years. Pak Bebeb, how I call him, is a senior diplomat from Indonesia. At the time of writing, He is the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Indonesia to the Republic of Greece in Athen. On 10 March 2025, he was kind enough to teach in my two classes: Border Management, and Delimitation and Demarcation of Maritime Boundaries. It was such a privilege.
The communication was easy. Pak Bebeb is a kind and humble Ambassador to communicate with me via Whatsapp. When I texted him regarding my plan to invite him to my class, he said yes without any hesitation. I texted him on 27 February 2025 and 11 days later he was already in my online class. Pak Bebeb appeared in my class through a zoom meeting.
Of course, the terms “permissible” (halal) and “prohibited” (haram) in the title of this article are not religious terms to be examined based on the Quran. I borrowed these terms because they were inspired by the name of the Arsana Space event organized by Arsana Ecosystem on February 9, 2025. In this event, Robertus Setiawan Aji Nugroho (Aji) and I were invited to share insights about the use of AI in research. Since it was held in the evening before breaking the fast, the organizers used the terms “permissible” (halal) and “prohibited” (haram).
Aji is an outstanding expert. Not only is he a practitioner of AI, but he has also been conducting research in the field for over a decade. Long before ChatGPT became widely popular, Aji was already deeply engaged with the power of computers to “understand” relationships and “meanings” between human words and sentences. Aji earned his Ph.D. from Macquarie University in Sydney, after previously obtaining his Master’s degree from UNSW in the same city in Australia. When it comes to AI, there is no reason to doubt Aji’s expertise.
On 24-26 Feb 2025, I had the privilege of teaching at the CIL-ANCORS Workshop on Maritime Boundary Delimitation held at National University of Singapore (NUS). This event is a regular program, and although this isn’t my first time being involved, it never ceases to be an exciting experience—one worth noting as both a lesson and a blessing.
It all started with Clive Schofield, my PhD supervisor, who brought me into this important project. He was the one who saw that I was worthy of both the opportunity and the responsibility. I know for sure that many of the animations I’ve created are being used as teaching materials in this workshop. Perhaps Clive would have felt uneasy if he hadn’t invited me. Whatever the reason, I am grateful.
These days, we are witnessing various conflicts. Some people protest and take to the streets. Others grumble on social media. Their protests are directed at state organizers who are deemed incompetent. On the other hand, a significant portion of the population fiercely defends these state organizers. These defenders firmly believe and are ready to testify that the very officials being ridiculed by some are, in fact, good people—saviors of their lives.
My piece on the passing of Prof. Hasjim Djalal somehow made its way to his son, Dino Patti Djalal. I have known Pak Dino for a couple of years, and he has been a great inspiration to me, especially in public speaking. So, when he reached out to me, it was already an honor. But what made it even more special was his request—he wanted to interview me about his father, Prof. Hasjim Djalal.
It did not take me long to say yes—of course! I flew to Jakarta from Yogyakarta on February 7, 2025, for the interview. Pak Dino is working on a documentary film about his father, and he is taking it very seriously. He invited a number of people to share their reflections on Prof. Hasjim, and I was fortunate to be one of them. Among the interviewees was Pak Marty Natalegawa, a towering figure in Indonesia’s diplomacy. To be in such company was truly an honor.
In the last couple of weeks, Indonesia has been facing a controversial issue on sea fence or pagar laut. As someone focusing research on geospatial aspects of the law of the sea, I have been genuinely interested in knowing more about the issue. I started my own research, in collaboration with a junior colleague at the Department of Geodetic Engineering, Calvin Wijaya. I found some interesting facts.
In a nutshell, some people found that sea fence with the length of around 30km was spotted in the sea located in north of Tangerang. Not only that, it was also found that the ocean space within the fence were with land certificate. How come? Here is where the controversy began. It is not difficult to imagine that the issue can be really complex involving too may parties.
Universitas Gadjah Mada had an excellent initiative to have a class for journalists so they can understand the issue comprehensively. I thought the idea was brilliant so they could learn beyond their conventional interest to produce news. I was asked to provide the lecture and I said yes. Around 12 journalists from prominent media were there and a few hours later, the lecture ‘exploded’ in the internet. I was so glad that I could contribute, not matter how small.
Indonesia is currently defining its internal waters, especially those within bays. The project, in fact, has been there for quite some times. I started to help the government of Indonesia in defining internal waters since 2017 if not earlier. Technically speaking, Indonesia is in the process of closing its bays using bay-closing lines so that the waters situated in the inland side of the line can be claimed as internal waters.
A couple of hundreds young Indonesians were there watching me sharing my stories. They were LPDP scholarship recipients and were ready to depart to start their scientific journey. Some will fly to different countries and some other will study in top-notch universities in Indonesia. It was me sharing with them for their preparation to embark in the new journey of life.
This year marks the tenth year of me serving as a speaker at the LPDP Pre Departure session. A lot have happened but I always feel the same feeling. Every time I walked through the crowd from my seat to the stage, I could not help but feeling hopeful. Hopeful because I could sense their positive energy to start the journey. They way they responded to my presence was just amazing. They made me feel that I was the most important person in the room. They hand clap, the way they looked at me, their smile, their excitement. Everything. This is truly a sign that they are great people. it was certainly not about me. It was about them.
My topic was not so much different compared to the one I delivered previously to different LPDP cohorts. Some repetitive jokes, some same illustrations, same anecdotes, also. No worries, I face different audiences every time I am involved in a pre departure session. They were cooperative. The two hours went so fast. We had fun.
I stressed on the facts that they will study in prominent global universities so they better secure the most out of the program. The study is considered as a golden period where they have all the freedom and privilege to develop their intellectuality. The scholarship period will also be a good time of reflection on our country. In short, I asked them not to take the opportunities for granted.
Lastly, I share my views on how Indonesia will need their expertise and presences in the future. However, I also understand that contributing to Indonesia does not always mean that you have to be physically in Indonesia. When opportunities come and no law being breached, do your best and show the world what Indonesians are made of.
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