Muhammad Firman, David Wilson, Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara – An Indonesian villager was injured on Monday after Timor-Leste border patrol officers opened fire during an altercation in a contested frontier area, underscoring the unresolved land disputes that continue to strain relations between communities on both sides of the border.
The confrontation began when Timor-Leste dispatched construction workers to build border barriers in Inbate Village, Timor Tengah Utara Regency, near Indonesia's East Nusa Tenggara Province. Local residents, claiming the work encroached on ancestral farmland they had cultivated for generations, blocked the construction and expelled the workers.
Tensions escalated after Timor-Leste responded by sending an armed patrol unit, which allegedly fired at the villagers. One resident, Paulus Kaet Oki, sustained a gunshot wound to his right shoulder and was rushed to a local hospital, officials said Tuesday. Witnesses reported hearing at least eight gunshots during the clash, according to local police spokesman Second Inspector Markus Wilco Mitang. Villagers, armed with machetes and stones, retaliated against the border officers.
The dispute arises from differing interpretations of a 2005 provisional land boundary agreement signed by both governments. While Jakarta and Dili formally accepted the demarcation based on historical lines separating Dutch and Portuguese colonial territories, many Indonesian villagers still refer to the former provincial boundary between East Nusa Tenggara and East Timor, which remained in use until Timor-Leste gained independence in 2002.
According to East Nusa Tenggara border official Marcel Sara, the contested fence construction could seize up to 12.5 hectares of Indonesian villagers' farmland if the 2005 agreement is enforced as written. Local farmers insist the older provincial border should serve as the reference point.
East Nusa Tenggara Police have urged residents to avoid further violence and allow bilateral negotiations to proceed. "It's very important to inform the public about the actual borderline and their lawful land ownership to prevent this incident from recurring," provincial police spokesman Henry Novika Chandra said.