Troops sent to Atambua

MAKASSAR, South Sulawesi: The Wirabuana Military Command, which oversees the five Sulawesi provinces, sent on Wednesday a battalion of troops to the West-East Timor border town of Atambua.

Wirabuana Military Commander Maj. Gen. A. Yahya said the dispatch involved 689 soldiers, who will serve in Atambua for one year in place of 643 soldiers from the Kalimantan-based Tanjung Pura Military Command.

"The troops will be responsible for checking and screening people crossing the border, preventing smuggling attempts of goods, maintaining the unity of the country's territory and protecting East Timorese refugees," Yahya said. (27)