Three Indon War Ships Standby In Ri-timor Leste Border

Ambon (Maluku Province), June 2 (ANTARA) - The Indonesian Navy's Chief of Staff Admiral Slamet Subiyanto has stated that three war ships are currently patrolling marine border area between Indonesia and Timor Leste following bloody violence in the newly established country.

"The three war ships are harboring in Kupang waters for the time being, but from time to time they patrol the marine border area," the admiral said here on Friday.

The condition in the marine border area is still under control so far, according to the Naval Chief of Staff who in on a visit in Ambon to inaugurate a command headquarters of the Ambon Naval Base VIII on Thursday.

In addition to the war ships, the Indonesian Navy has also mobilized two corvettes to patrol the sea border.

Meanwhile, Regional Military Commander of Pattimura Major General Sudarmaidy Soebandy said that one military personnel company has been prepared to guard southern part of South West Maluku which shares marine border with Timor Leste and Australia.

"A company of military personnel is ready, but their departure to the border area has to be postponed due to bad weather," Soebandy said.

Their mission is to strengthen the border patrol guards and to set up new patrol post in the border area in order to anticipate unexpected condition following the prolonged conflict in Timor Leste, he said.

Major General Soebandy said an exodus from the tiny country to Indonesia is likely as the people in the South West Maluku have emotional ties with the people of Timor Leste. Some of them are even relatives, he said.

The Indonesian Air Force Hercules had taken out a total of 1,379 Indonesian citizens from Timor Leste's capital city of Dili to Kupang in the Indonesian province of East Nusa Tenggara since May 27, 2006.

(THROUGH ASIA PULSE)

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