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Abstract

Today, many experts of maritime powers take it for granted that a foreign submarine has the right of submerged passage in an archipelagic sea lane. By using the 1969 Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (VCLT) as a tool of interpretation, this paper tries to decipher whether a submerged passage is permissible or not in archipelagic sea lane passage. This paper found that the submerging in an archipelagic sea lane passage is not a generally accepted interpretation of “normal mode” in Article 53 of the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The writers discovered on one hand, the result of the travaux preparatoir means of interpretation appears to be in favor of the submerged passage being included within the meaning of “normal mode”. The textual interpretation, on the other hand, emphasizes the exclusion of submerged passage from both transit passage and archipelagic sea lane passage. In the case of an archipelagic sea lane passage, the exclusion of submerged passage weighs more than the transit passage. Therefore, based on VCLT 1969, which says that the textual interpretation takes precedence over the interpretation of travaux préparatoires, the submerged passage is not a widely accepted interpretation.

References

Books and Book Chapters

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United Nations, United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, opened for signature 10 December 1982, 1833 UNTS 397.

Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties. 1155 UNTS 331 (opened for signature 23 May 1969, entered into force 27 January 1980).

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Dispute Regarding Navigational and Related Rights (Costa Rica v. Nicaragua), Judgment, ICJ Reports 2009.

Sovereignty over Pedra Branca/Pulau Batu Puteh, Middle Rocks and South Ledge (Malaysia/Singapore), Judgment, ICJ Reports 2008.

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Indonesia. Undang-Undang tentang Persetujuan Perjanjian Persahabatan antara Republik Indonesia dan Persekutuan Tanah Melayu, UU No. 4 Tahun 1960. (Law on the Agreement of the Treaty of Friendship between the Republic of Indonesia and the Federation of Malaya, Law No. 4 Year 1960).

Web Sources

Naval History and Heritage Command. “Strategic Deterrence.” Accessed 15 April 2022, https://www.history.navy.mil/browse-by-topic/wars-conflicts-and-operations/cold-war/strategic-deterrence.html.

Ronald Reagan. “Statement on United States Oceans Policy.” Accessed 23 May 2023, https://www.reaganlibrary.gov/archives/speech/statement-united-states-oceans-policy.

United Nations. “ILC Draft Conclusions on Subsequent Agreements and Subsequent Practice in relation to the Interpretation of Treaties.” Accessed 15 April 2022, https://legal.un.org/ilc/texts/instruments/english/draft_articles/1_11_2018.pdf.

United Nations. “Chapter IV Subsequent Agreements and Subsequent Practice in relation to the Interpretation of Treaties.” Accessed 15 April 2022, https://legal.un.org/ilc/reports/2018/english/chp4.pdf.

“Treaties, States Parties, and Commentaries of – San Remo Manual on Armed Conflicts at Sea, 12 June 1994.” Accessed 14 April 2022, https://ihl-databases.icrc.org/ihl/INTRO/560.

Others

Holvik, Natalie. "Silence is consent: Acquiescence and Estoppel in International Law." Master of Law Thesis, Orebro University, 2018.

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