The Development of China’s LY-1 Laser Weapon and the Urgency of Indonesia’s Ratification of Protocol IV CCW
Keywords:
LY-1 Laser Weapon, Protocol IV CCW, International Humanitarian Law, Indonesian Ratification, Southeast Asian Regional SecurityAbstract
The emergence of China’s LY-1 laser weapon represents a fundamental challenge to the architecture of International Humanitarian Law (IHL) in Southeast Asia. This study aims to analyse the legal implications of the disparity in the ratification of Protocol IV of the Convention on Certain Conventional Weapons (CCW) between China, as the developer of the LY-1 laser weapon which has been bound since 1998, and Indonesia, a strategic country in Southeast Asia that has not yet ratified this legal protection instrument. This study employs a qualitative, normative legal method to analyse existing legal norms in light of the facts. The main analysis is based on primary legal materials, namely the text of Protocol IV CCW, along with secondary legal materials including doctrines, scientific journals, the views of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), technical specifications of the LY-1 laser weapon, and tertiary legal materials in the form of dictionaries and encyclopaedias. The results of this study demonstrate that the dual-function characteristics of the LY-1 laser weapon-1 place it in a legal grey area. Although China has ratified Protocol IV, a legal protection vacuum leaves Indonesia strategically vulnerable to new technological threats. The study recommends the immediate ratification of Protocol IV CCW as a proactive lawfare measure, not for an arms race, but as an important defence instrument for national security.
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