By Bernama,
Atambua : The commander of Indonesian military troops guarding the border with Timor Leste, Lt Col Muhammad Kusdaryanto, said limitations to the infrastructure and facilities at his unit’s disposal had made it quite possible for foreigners to cross the frontier illegally, Indonesia’s Antara news agency reported.
“There are many, many obscure back-country routes foreigners can take to go to or come from the neighbouring country. Moreover, they know the region well. Most border-crossings are done at night, and we are short of night-vision binoculars,” he said here Monday.
The border that the troops had to guard was 239 km long 150 km wide which is in Belu district and the rest in Kupang and Timor Timur Utara districts which adjoined Timor Leste’s Oekusi enclave.
Kusdaryono made the statements when asked about reports that a number of Timor Leste men from the rebel group led by Alfredo Reinado Alves had entered Indonesian terrritory in Belu district illegally not long ago.
“Supposing all my men are made to line up along the entire border, illegal border crossers can still get through both ways. This is not because we do not do our job properly but because we just don’t have enough tools and infrastructure and other inter-related things,” he said.
Still, he said, the task force he was commanding never relaxed in their alertness and was constantly on guard.
“We always observe close coordination and try to perfect our ways of carrying out the border guarding precedures,” he said.
Recently, when Timor Leste’s defence and security authorities were carrying out their Operation Halibur against followers of Alves and his succcessor, Gastao Salsinha, some of the Timor Leste rebel elements were reported to have entered Indonesian terrritory in East Nusatenggara. But a team from the Indonesian police’s Special Detachment 88 based in Jakarta was able to arrest them last April 16 and 18.
The Headquarters of Indonesia’s National Police took action upon instruction from the central government in accordance with a request from the Timor Leste govenment in Dili.
Timor Leste’s request to Indonesia to act against the Timor Leste insurgents was made a few days before the arrest via telephone.Timor Leste President Jose Ramos Horta made a phone call to President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, requesting help and cooperation to find and legally process anyone involved in the attempt on his life.