Border troops brave boredom, prejudice

ATAMBUA, East Nusa Tenggara (JP): The sound of takbir (praising God) reverberated in the hills, breaking through the thick fog enfolding the quiet morning. Slowly, the world stirred back to life, gathering speed as it neared time for the Idul Adha (Day of Sacrifice) prayer.

It was an unusual Idul Adha gathering, especially for members of the 432nd Airborne Infantry Battalion stationed at a border post in Laktutus, some 48 kilometers south of Atambua, or about a two-hour drive from Atambua due to the poor roads.

The head of the Udayana Military Command, Maj. Gen. Kiki Syahnakri, was present to join the troops in performing the Idul Adha prayer.

Kiki and his staff arrived at the camp the day before, after meeting with Lt. Gen. Jaime de los Santos, the commander of the United Nations Transitional Authority in East Timor (UNTAET), at the Motaain border post in Atambua.

Kiki's visit was a pleasant diversion for the 37 troops stationed at the lonely hill post that stands 1,057 meters above sea level, where the sun often hides behind thick clouds.

"This is the first time a Pangdam (regional military commander) has visited us at an operation site," W. Erawan, the battalion's operations section chief, said.

The troops have been stationed at the post for six months and their main activity is patrolling the border between East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) and East Timor, including the villages of Laktutus, Wekmautis and Nanainoi, located some four kilometers south of the border.

The foot patrols are carried out in two shifts, each by 14 troops.

"Every day we visit the villages, which have four hamlets each. We start at around 7 a.m. and return to camp at around 2 a.m.," said Taris Awal. "Most of the time the villagers ask us to stop by and join them for a lunch of barbecued corn on their farms."

Nothing much happens during the patrols, but that does not mean the troops can relax, especially since there remain 200 East Timorese refugee families in the villages. Earlier this month, the troops confiscated several weapons, including a pistol and a 1937 Mauser rifle. No arrests were made, though, because the men carrying the weapons fled into East Timor and disappeared in the thick fog.

"Visibility is poor here, around 200 meters when the fog is really thick. The border under our watch is quite long, and it is possible that by the time we pass a certain point, people begin crossing behind us without our noticing," Maj. Eriet Hadi Uriyanto, the battalion commander, said.

According to Eriet, most of the villagers on both sides of the border are relatives.

"Before East Timor's independence, crossing the border was not illegal," he said.

Kiki, however, is very much against illegal border crossings and has ordered the troops to prevent villagers on either side of the border from crossing.

"TNI is committed to securing the border and stopping any activity by former prointegration fighters or any activity in their support," Kiki told the troops shortly before he left the post last Thursday.

"The Indonesian government respects the aspirations of the prointegration supporters, but we are against the use of force or violence," he stressed.

Kiki said that apart from safeguarding Indonesia's territorial integrity and sovereignty and the government's policy toward East Timor, the troops stationed along the border must help the people of East Nusa Tenggara by preventing the smuggling of basic commodities.

"The people of West Timor (NTT) are poor and if large amounts of food continues to be transported illegally into East Timor, the West Timorese will suffer even more," said Kiki.

At the moment, the people of East Nusa Tenggara carry the burden of sharing what little they have with the East Timorese refugees, who also receive international aid, causing jealousy among the impoverished hosts. The presence of the refugees has also caused prices to soar, making life even more difficult for the locals.

"We must therefore speed up the repatriation of the East Timorese refugees to help the West Timorese resume a normal life," he said.

Kiki's directives sound like a tall order for the 689 Indonesian troops stationed along the 172-kilometer border, whose main enemy is boredom.

However, boredom is not their only concern. In Laktutus, they crave thick covers to keep warm at night.

"We are soldiers and we are expected to survive any kind of weather, but a sleeping bag would be nice," said one soldier. "After all, we are humans too and we feel the cold."

The troops also questioned the amount of daily allowance they received. "We only get Rp 2,000 a day. Besides, unlike on past assignments, we don't get an operational allowance," said another soldier.

In the past, troops sent to areas of operation received an additional 75 percent of their monthly salaries.

But these concerns are trivial compared to the feeling that they are being treated unfairly by UNTAET.

"We are always accused of arming and helping former prointegration fighters. They, particularly the Australians, treat us like enemies," said a soldier at the Motaain border post.

He said his battalion commander once received a complaint from the United Nations Peacekeeping Force (UNPKF) about some missing cattle.

"My commander was furious and wrote back saying we were not cattle troops. 'We take care of people, not cows,' that's what my commander said. The UNPKF did not pursue the subject," he said, adding that the UNPKF was more concerned with missing cattle than missing people.

Not all troops have had bad experiences with the Australian members of UNPKF. At Laktutus, members of the 432nd Battalion sleep on inflatable mattresses, a luxury none of the other border troops enjoy.

"An Australian member of INTERFET (the International Force on East Timor) left me his mattress when he returned home and I ordered more from Australia for all the troops here," said Eriet.

But then what is accomplished on a personal level does not always translate into official commitments. (lem)