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.