# Canonical recap data for Indonesia and Timor-Leste Maritime Border Dispute (2023)
# Source: https://recap.at/2023/indonesia-timor-leste-dispute
# Format: YAML 1.2 (UTF-8). Generated at request time.
slug: indonesia-timor-leste-dispute
canonicalUrl: "https://recap.at/2023/indonesia-timor-leste-dispute"
title: Indonesia and Timor-Leste Maritime Border Dispute
aliases:
- Timor Sea boundary dispute
- Indonesia-Timor-Leste maritime row
- Greater Sunrise dispute
subtitle: A maritime boundary disagreement escalated tensions between neighbors over valuable seabed resources and raised concerns about regional stability in Southeast Asia.
recapType: global_event
eventStatus: concluded
startDate: 2023-01-01
datePrecision: year
year: 2023
decade: 2020
country:
name: Indonesia
slug: indonesia
summaryShort: Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian and Pacific oceans. Comprising over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guinea, Indonesia is the world's largest archipelagic state and the 14th-largest country by a
summaryLong: Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian and Pacific oceans. Comprising over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guinea, Indonesia is the world's largest archipelagic state and the 14th-largest country by area, at 1,904,569 square kilometres. Indonesia has significant areas of wilderness that support one of the world's highest levels of biodiversity. It shares land borders with Papua New Guinea, Timor-Leste, and Malaysia, as well as maritime borders with seven other countries, including Australia, Singapore, and the Philippines.
lede: Indonesia and Timor-Leste clashed over overlapping maritime claims in the Timor Sea throughout 2023, a dispute rooted in competing interpretations of colonial-era boundaries and continental shelf rights. The disagreement threatened energy exploration plans and regional stability in one of Southeast Asia's most strategically important waters.
heroImageUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9f/Flag_of_Indonesia.svg/1280px-Flag_of_Indonesia.svg.png"
heroImageCredit: Wikipedia · "Indonesia"
importance: 61
sourceConfidence: 75
keyFacts:
- label: Disputed maritime area
  value: Timor Sea between Indonesia and Timor-Leste
- label: Core disagreement
  value: Overlapping continental shelf claims and maritime boundary demarcation
- label: Key project affected
  value: Greater Sunrise gas field development
- label: Timor-Leste independence
  value: May 20, 2002
- label: Previous maritime treaty
  value: Timor Sea Treaty signed May 2006
timeline:
- date: 2002-05-20
  title: Timor-Leste independence
  description: Timor-Leste became independent, inheriting maritime boundary disputes with Indonesia based on colonial Portuguese and Dutch demarcation lines.
- date: 2006-05-20
  title: Timor Sea Treaty signed
  description: Indonesia and Timor-Leste signed the Timor Sea Treaty, establishing a Joint Petroleum Development Area but leaving broader continental shelf boundaries unresolved.
- date: 2023-01-01
  title: Escalating maritime tensions
  description: Tensions intensified in early 2023 as Timor-Leste pursued independent energy agreements and Indonesia reasserted territorial claims over the Greater Sunrise field.
- date: 2023-06-01
  title: Diplomatic standoff deepens
  description: Negotiations over maritime boundaries stalled as both nations maintained incompatible positions on continental shelf rights and resource allocation.
- date: 2023-12-31
  title: Year-end unresolved status
  description: Despite international pressure and mediation efforts, Indonesia and Timor-Leste ended 2023 without reaching agreement on maritime demarcation.
sources:
- url: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesia"
  title: Indonesia
  provider: Wikipedia
related: []
impactStatement: The dispute exposed deeper tensions over resource rights and maritime sovereignty in Southeast Asia, complicating energy deals and multilateral negotiations. It highlighted how unresolved border issues from decolonization continue to destabilize regional relations and economic development.
categories:
- war
taxonomy:
domain: political
eventTypes:
- diplomatic_summit
- sanctions
canonicalClasses:
- conflict
- governance
impactRadius: regional
velocity: gradual
predictability: forecastable
intentionality: planned
domainCoupling: multi_domain
lifecycleClass: conflict
metaDescription: Indonesia and Timor-Leste maritime border tensions over Timor Sea territorial claims and energy rights in 2023.
wikidataQid: Q252
archiveSnapshots:
- url: "https://web.archive.org/web/20230630223135/https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesia"
  capturedAt: 2023-06-30
  label: Indonesia
  originalUrl: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indonesia"
gallery:
- url: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9f/Flag_of_Indonesia.svg/1280px-Flag_of_Indonesia.svg.png"
  thumbnailUrl: "https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/9f/Flag_of_Indonesia.svg/800px-Flag_of_Indonesia.svg.png"
  caption: Indonesia
  credit: Wikipedia · "Indonesia"
  width: 330
  height: 220
