Also: SECURITY TASK FORCE GUARDS 57 POINTS ON RI-E TIMOR BORDER

MILY, POLICE IN BORDER AREAS SHOW REFORMED ATTITUDES

December 22, 2003 8:36pm

Antara

Atambua, E Nusa Tenggara, Dec 21 (ANTARA) - Indonesian military and police personnel assigned to the border regions shared by Indonesia and East Timor have shown reformed attitudes in accordance with current era of reforms, a local legislator has said.

"We notice that the Indonesian military and police personnel assigned to the border areas have begun to show the principle of reforms as they now give priority to the people's interest," chairman of the Belu district legislative council, Herman Yoseph Loe Mau, said here Sunday.

Herman said Indonesian military and police personnel showed encouraging attitudes to the people in Belu district, East Nusa Tenggara province, when they were safeguarding the elections of Belu district head and deputy head for the 2004-2009 period on December 2, 2003.

The people in Belu welcomed the current security paradigm as the Indonesian military and police personnel gave priority to the principles of democracy, Herman said.

"Likewise, journalists and observers admitted that the democratic process has proceeded well and the security paradigm with a nuance of reform has taken place," he said, adding that the military and police have enabled the people to gather without any anarchic acts.

In addition, he said, the Indonesian military and police have been able to prove that the law and order situation in Belu district which many quarters have considered as prone to conflicts is now conducive to all activities.

All parties have to admit that the security paradigm applied by Chief of Belu district police Adjunct Senior Commissioner Agus Nugroho, Chief of the Belu district military command Lt.Col. Ganip Warsito and Chief of the Security Task Force on the East Nusa Tenggara-East Timor border Col. Djoko Sutiono has produced concrete results, he said.

Djoko Sutiono said over the weekend that the Security Task Force has been guarding 57 points along the 316.7-kilometer border-line shared by Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara province and East Timor.

Sutiono pointed out that every security point has one control post guarded by 25-30 personnel.

He said the East Nusa Tenggara-East Timor border extends from an area in East Nusa Tenggara which directly borders on Oecusse district (East Timor) to Covalima district (also East Timor).

Until now, Sutiono said, the Indonesian territory on the border areas is still safeguarded by the Indonesian military personnel in an adequate number although the security situation there is considered conducive.

Such a measure is taken because the border line is relatively long and has many areas which are frequently made by certain people to cross illegally from East Nusa Tenggara to East Timor or vice versa, he said.

"The number of personnel guarding the border is actually big but there are still many people both Indonesians and East Timorese illegally crossing for different reasons and interests," he said.

(THROUGH ASIA PULSE)

SECURITY TASK FORCE GUARDS 57 POINTS ON RI-E TIMOR BORDER

December 22, 2003 8:26pm Antara

Atambua, E Nusa Tenggara, Dec 20 (ANTARA) - The Security Task Force has been guarding 57 points along 316.7-kilometer border-line shared by Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara province and East Timor.

"Every security point has one control post guarded by 25-30 personnel," Commander of the Security Task Force on the East Nusa Tenggara-East Timor border, Col. Djoko Sutiono said here Saturday.

Sutiono said the East Nusa Tenggara-East Timor border extends from an area in East Nusa Tenggara which directly borders on Oecusse district (East Timor) to Covalima district (also East Timor).

The border area between Haumeniana in Miomafo Barat subdistrict, Timor Tengah Utara district and Wini in Insana Utara subdistrict, Timor Tengah Utara district, is controlled by personnel of a military battalion from Indonesia's West Kalimantan province, he said.

The whole area under the West Kalimantan military personnel's control directly borders on East Timor's district of Oecusse which is still occupied by the UN Peacekeeping Force from AusBatt (Australian battalion), he added.

He also disclosed that the border area in the northern part of Belu district in East Nusa Tenggara province is guarded by military personnel from Surabaya, East Java province. The area is located in the opposite of East Timor's district of Bobonaro which is safeguarded by the UN Peacekeeping Force's personnel from AusBatt.

The border area in the southern part of Belu district is safeguarded by personnel of the Alugoro military battalion while the opposing area in East Timor is occupied by the AusBatt personnel.

Until now, Sutiono said, the Indonesian territory on the border areas is still safeguarded by the Indonesian military personnel in an adequate number although the security situation there is considered conducive.

Such a measure is taken because the border line is relatively long and has many areas which are frequently made by certain people to cross illegally to and from East Nusa Tenggara or East Timor, he said.

"The number of personnel guarding the border is actually big but there are still many people both Indonesians and East Timorese illegally crossing for different reasons and interests," he said.

According to Sutiono who was assigned to join the UN Peacekeeping Force in Vietnam in 1993/1994, the presence of the Indonesian police and military troops on the border areas is to help the local police personnel.

"Although there have been personnel of the East Nusa Tenggara provincial police on the border areas, an Indonesian military task force is still needed, as in June 2004 the assignment of all personnel of the UN Peacekeeping Force in East Timor will expire," he said.

East Timor officially seceded from Indonesia in October, 1999, as a consequence of the pro-independence camp's victory in the UN-organized popular consultation held on August 30, 1999.

The territory integrated into Indonesia in 1976 but the United Nations never recognized the integration process.

(THROUGH ASIA PULSE)

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