QUOTE(DutchEastIndiesMan @ May 25 2008, 10:11 AM) [snapback]3717672[/snapback]
^Hey I always wondered about that too....
I tried googleling it...but nothing came out about the history....
I reckon Natuna islands is the most obvious strategic island Indonesia's has,we could put a naval base, submarine base, ballistic missile base, a fortress, an airfield, long range artillery and make the whole island a threat to neighbouring countries.....

So tell me when you get anything...
I have been wondering this since I was very small, since the day I started to understand Malaysia geography, I always wonder what is that big island in the middle of the sea, I always wonder why no Malaysians talk about it, it is also not mentioned anywhere in any Malaysian history textbooks.
The Dutch and the British made a treaty that divide the Johor Sultanate, everything north to Singapore will belong to British and everything south will belong to Dutch, Natuna is north of Singapore, so it should belong to Malaysia or Singapore right? Why is it part of Riau, Riau is so far away from it, it takes at least 2 hours to fly there by plane.
I don't know about its history, since I can't find it anywhere on the net or any textbooks around me, but I highly doubt the Dutch ever controlled that island, if that is the case, why Malaysia never claimed it?