Indonesian soldiers -- the real 'survivors'

Indonesian soldiers -- the real 'survivors'

Rusman, Samarinda

In the remote jungle of East Kalimantan, far away from
"civilization", Indonesian soldiers are playing a game of
survival.

Hold it. This is not a war situation, nor another scene from
the artificial wildlife adventure some of us may love to watch in
the Survivor reality show. The soldiers are guarding the border
that separate two neighboring countries, along with their
Malaysian counterparts.

Some Indonesia-Malaysia joint security posts have been set up
in Nunukan regency in East Kalimantan, which is only four
kilometers away from the boundary that marks the border with
Malaysia. Two of the posts in Simanggaris and Krayan were visited
by East Kalimantan Governor Suwarna AF recently.

The soldiers, who are posted at Simanggaris, fill their days
with banter and exchange stories about their lives. The
Simanggaris post began formal operation on April 24, 2002.

Miswanto, an officer from Indonesia's Infantry Batalyon
613/Raja Alam, said, "We share stories about our experiences in
the Army. We've ask them how to be admitted as an officer in the
Malaysian military. They also ask us about recruitment in our
military."

The Malaysian soldiers, however, are considered more lucky
than their counterparts. Every week, they receive rations sent
from Malaysia, comprising chicken, vegetables and packed
beverages, in ample quantities.

The Indonesian soldiers are given an allowance and freedom to
decide what they want to eat. The amount in the allowance has not
been revealed.

The posts are located some distance away from any town -- 244
kilometers from Malinau regency by land transportation, and
around 130 km from Nunukan regency by sea.

The distance, the weather and the harsh topography can
certainly delay transportation of people and goods to and from
the security posts; therefore, it becomes almost a habit of the
Indonesian soldiers to obtain their food fresh from the jungle.

According to Ezazi, the commander of Malaysia's Askar Melayu
Diraja Regiment (RAMD), Indonesian soldiers were great hunters.

"Indons are extraordinary. During a patrol round, when they
spotted a civet, they shot it, cooked it and ate the meat. Next
time, a snake caught their eyes. They shot it, roasted it and ate
it. We do not do such things because they are haram (prohibited
by Islam)," said Ezazi in a strong Malay dialect. The Malaysians
refer to Indonesians as Indon.

Miswanto said that his fellow officers would eat vegetables
taken from the jungle, consume salted fish and drink from the
rivers. He also said that they had to learn to satisfy themselves
with the prey caught during patrols.

"A Malaysian soldier always carries a complete pack of food in
his backpack while on patrol. We have only fresh water," Miswanto
said.

There was, however, no comment from the governor on the
effectiveness of such treatment.

The soldiers are not only assigned to monitor the border
crossings but also to prevent illegal logging and smuggling. They
patrol together inside and outside the jungle to watch over the
50-kilometer-long border points, unless there is a heavy
downpour, which can turn the ground into a mud pool.

The Simanggaris complex has better facilities than Krayan. The
Krayan complex consists of one main wooden building that serves
as an accommodation and security post. It is furnished with bunk
beds covered with canvas. Commanders have separate bedrooms. For
communication, the post is equipped with a radio transmitter.

The Simanggaris complex has nine barracks, five for Indonesian
soldiers, with the remainder for the Malaysians as well as a
security post. Here, the soldiers may lie on their back on soft
mattresses and kill time by watching television. The building has
an electricity supply and adequate communications devices.
Commanders are also assigned separate bedrooms.

Indonesian Military personnel change shift every four months
-- a platoon is assigned for the task. The Malaysians rotate
their soldiers every two months, 10 officers for each batch.

The governor and his entourage -- comprising the provincial
authorities, regents, mayors from all cities in East Kalimantan
and reporters -- visited this area one afternoon in late July.

Upon arrival at Nunukan, our group was greeted by soft breeze
and the fresh scent of wet soil after rain. We were surrounded by
huge trees that echoed the sound of jungle animals calling each
other.

The governor and other big shots were traveling from
Samarinda, which is 1,200 kilometers away, in Ford Rangers. There
were 65 vehicles in our group.

The wet and slippery road, and felled logs scattered on it
impeded our progress. To arrive at the posts, we had to travel
along winding roads with sharp twists, which were certainly a
major hazard for careless drivers.

"I want all my officials to have a good look at the
infrastructure in East Kalimantan, and to be able to observe the
Indonesia-Malaysia border," Governor Suwarna said.

We finished our tour just as the sun was setting. The sound of
nocturnal animals, mixed with the laughter of four Malaysian and
Indonesian soldiers on the security post, were clearly heard in
the midst of the lonely jungle.

"It is very easy to distinguish who is Indonesian and who is
not. The Indonesian soldier carry a heavy SS1 rifle, while the
Malaysians have arms stryer gun and binoculars," Miswanto said.