Joe Leribun, Jakarta – The government of East Timor did not take over any land in the region of the border in the Nusa Tenggara Timor Province. A problem arose due to a mistake in the surveying of the border so there was some construction erected by some East Timorese that encroached on Indonesian territory.

The Chief of Staff of the TNI Land Forces, General Pramono Edhie Wibowo, discussed this matter after a ceremony for the promotion for extraordinary achievement of First Sergeant Nicolas Sandi Harewan dan Sub-Lieutenant Melkior Nandi, at the Land Forces Head Quarters in Veteran Street, Jakarta on Monday, 6 August 2012.

"The problem at the border with East Timor was really not about the taking of any Indonesian territory but was a just a measurement error by those who put the building up not the government of East Timor and because of that error the building ended up encroaching on our territory,' he said.

To resolve this problem, the Indonesian Government will coordinate with the Government of East Timor. "We will resolve this problem. We will solve it properly. It is just a construction problem and not a surveying error by the two countries" said General Pramono.

As reported previously, there are 5 survey points along the Indonesian-East-Timor border, particularly at the Kecamatan of Bikomi Nilulat in the North Central Timor Kabupaten in Nusa Tenggara Timor Province and the Passabe Sub-District in the East Timor Distict of Oekusi which risk a significant possibility of conflict because the land border has not yet been agreed between the two countries at these points. The five points that could give rise to conflict are at Subina in Inbate Village, Pistana in Nainaban Village and Sunkaen Village, Tububanat in Nilulat Village, Oben in Tubu Village and lastly at Nefonunpo in Haumeni Ana Village that are presently disputed.

Earlier, on 31 July 2012, residents of Haumeni Ana Village in the North Bikomi Kecamatan in TTU Sub-District were involved in a fight with residents in Passabe in Oekusi District, East Timor that was triggered by the construction of an East Timor Customs and Immigration Office that encroached 20 meters onto Indonesian soil. Residents from the two countires threw stones and sharp instruments at each other over a period of 15 minutes. The fight was stopped by Indonesian and East Timorese defence personnel and did not result in any deaths or injuries but made the local people alert and concerned. Editor: Hertanto Soebijoto.

[Translated by Warren L. Wright BA LLB with assistance from Mr Kurniawan Bagus Sardjono.]