Archipelagic sea lanes passage in Southeast Asia: Developments and uncertainties

The two largest archipelagic states in the world – Indonesia and the Philippines – are located in Southeast Asia. They strongly believe that their islands and interconnecting waters are so closely interrelated that they are inseparable, and that control over the waters within their archipelago is essential to their very identity and existence as states. Therefore, they insisted during the development of the law of sea over the past 50 years that an archipelagic states regime be recognized which would give them sovereignty over both their island territories and the waters within their archipelago.