By Mohd Nasir Yusoff, Bernama,
Bogor : Indonesia’s Army Chief of Staff Gen Agustadi Sasongko Purnomo reaffirmed that there was no misuse of a helipad built close to the Indonesian-Malaysian border area.
“We have monitored the situation and there was no misuse of the helipad,” he said after leading a ceremony marking the 62nd anniversary of the Military Police for the Army in Jonggol, Bogor, West Java.
He said the helipad on the border of the two countries could be used by the army of the two countries to control and determine the coordinates of the border.
“The helipad is actually a previous place for the general border committee team still in operation in Kalimantan,” Agustadi was quoted by Antara news agency Tuesday.
The army chief of staff strongly denied the use of the helipad for the smuggling of illegal logs or coal from Indonesia to Malaysia.
As for the heap of timber below the helipad, he said, it was intentionally built to protect helicopters from mud and that the helipad was only used temporarily.
Earlier, the local press claimed that the helipad was owned by Malaysia and built only seven metres from the common boundary.