Troops deployed to Mengkudu island

Troops deployed to Mengkudu island

Antara, Kupang

Troops have been deployed to Mengkudu island, a remote island in East Sumba regency, East Nusa Tenggara province, to monitor the activities of Australians living there, a military official said on Monday.

Commander of the Wirasakti military area Col. APJ Noch Bola said the Australians had built five houses on Mengkudu island.

"I've assigned 17 troops to secure the island and monitor the foreigners' activities there," Bola said in Kupang on Monday. However, he did not specify the number of the non-nationals living on the island or how long they had been living there.

He said the Australians had come to Mengkudu island to surf as tourists but one of them had married a daughter of the local tribal leader.

The marriage, Bola said, had allowed the Australians to put down roots on the island, even allegedly prohibiting local residents from approaching their "palaces".

"Several local tourists wanting to look around were yelled at and prohibited from coming closer. This attitude was unacceptable as the island belongs to us, not Australia," Bola said.

"Although the local administration hasn't yet build infrastructure on the island ... Indonesian Military personnel have been assigned there for the sake of the country and to ensure they don't do anything that would endanger the country."

He said the deployment of the soldiers was essential. "If they do anything that would endanger the country, we'll take action. In the meantime, the foreigners are still acting as tourists," Bola said.

Previously, deputy chairman of an ad hoc Regional Representatives Council committee, Jonathan Nubatonis, expressed concern about the foreigners' presence on Mengkudu island.

"It's possible the Australians living on Mengkudu island could be intelligence agents. We need to be careful and be ready for anything that could endanger the country's security," he said.

East Nusa Tenggar province has 566 islands, both large and small, but 524 of them are uninhabited. So far, the administration has only named 246 islands.