243 Timor-Leste households suspected of occupying Naktuka, Amfoang king urges government to act

Some 243 households from the Oecusse District, Timor-Leste, are suspected of occupying the Naktuka area in Amfoang, which administratively falls under Kupang Regency, East Nusa Tenggara Province. Raja Amfoang, Robby Manoh, explained that Oecusse residents have been cultivating fields in Naktuka, which remains within the administrative territory of Kupang. ‘The Oecusse people have been allowed to enter Naktuka and cultivate about 1,080 hectares there. Why are Amfoang people prohibited from entering Naktuka, what is happening, why is the Indonesian government allowing this?’ Robby said on Tuesday (3 March 2026). He urged the Indonesian government to resolve the issue promptly to prevent social conflict in Naktuka. ‘Strangely, the Indonesian government seems to be allowing the zone to be controlled by the Oecusse community. To date, the number of Timor-Leste residents occupying the area has continued to grow to 243 households,’ he said. Robby stated that under customary law, the boundary between Amfoang and Oecusse had been agreed at a meeting on 14 November 2017, witnessed by the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. ‘Under customary law, the boundary between Amfoang (Indonesia) and Oecusee (RDTL) was settled in a meeting between me as Raja Amfoang and Raja Ambenu-Oecusee on 14 November 2017, witnessed directly by the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs,’ he explained. He noted that the meeting followed discussions on RI-RDTL boundary agreements in Amfoang Timur, based on customary law and producing eight points of agreement, including the boundary. ‘Under customary law we have agreed and sworn that the boundary between the two territories should be returned to the ancestral boundary set at Noelbesi River. Following that agreement, Naktuka would belong to Amfoang and the opposite side to Ambenu, Oekusee,’ he asserted. He added that both sides also agreed to install boundary pillars in 2018; however, to date the pillars have not been installed. ‘As a side note, within one or two years after that meeting, the governments of both countries would revisit to install boundary pillars in accordance with our agreement, but the pillars have not been installed so I consider the matter unresolved,’ he stated. Robby revealed that in recent times there had been social friction between residents of the two regions. ‘Recently there have been frequent social frictions between residents of the two countries. Therefore, he called on President Prabowo Subianto to give special attention to resolving the boundary between the two countries in Timor-Leste (RDTL),’ he concluded. The disagreement has been deemed a breach of the agreement. Policy analyst for the East Nusa Tenggara Border Management Agency (BPPD), Reza Marendra, said that according to the agreement between the foreign ministries of the two countries, there should be no activity in Naktuka while the area remains disputed. ‘To my knowledge, according to talks from both foreign ministries, residents should not perform activities in a disputed area. But Timor Leste has breached that rule,’ Reza said. He added that the Noelbesi-Citrana segment is an unresolved area the two countries are negotiating on, and before a negotiated agreement is reached it should be treated as a free zone with no agricultural or other activities. ‘This Noelbesi-Citrana segment is a disputed area the two countries are willing to negotiate on, so before an agreement is reached, the area should be considered zoned free of activity,’ Reza said. He explained that the prohibition on activity in the free zone is the result of the two foreign ministries’ agreement because Naktuka remains in dispute. He lamented that the 25-year-old case has not been resolved since 2002. ‘It has been 25 years since the Naktuka case began in 2002,’ he added. He said Indonesia bans activity in the free zone through the Border Task Force, while Timor Leste residents continue to operate there, allegedly permitted by the UPF (Timor Leste Border Police). ‘The ban on Amfoang Utara residents comes from the MOFA via the Border Task Force, but Timor Leste journalists are allowed to operate there because they are allegedly permitted by the UPF (Timor Leste Border Police),’ he explained. Reza noted that Indonesia has repeatedly protested Citrana residents’ activities, but these have not been heeded. ‘Indonesia has issued a formal note of objection perhaps 100 times, but these have been ignored by Timor Leste. We have also written to the MOFA. We are awaiting final decisions at MOFA of both sides,’ he said. Settlement now in MOFA’s hands. Reza stressed that BPPD NTT is only a coordinating body, with final decisions resting with the President through the Foreign Affairs Ministry. He hopes the border dispute is resolved quickly so that the Oepoli Border Crossing Post (PLBN) can be realised, noting funding has been available since 2019 but is currently stalled by the border issue. ‘We want this resolved quickly so the Oepoli PLBN can be built, as funding has been available since 2019 but is currently held up by the border issue,’ he said. He argued that the PLBN would spur new economic growth in the border region. ‘Therefore we urge MOFA to promptly conduct negotiations to resolve the RI-RDTL border, particularly the Naktuka segment (Noelbesi-Citrana),’ he concluded.