T

he Army will deploy personnel to the border between Indonesia and Malaysia to take part in a road construction project that will connect areas along the border.

'€œThe Army personnel will be deployed soon. Meanwhile, we have delivered the needed heavy equipment to the area to speed up construction,'€ Army spokesman Brig. Gen. Wuryanto said.

Wuryanto said that the road would be 249 kilometers long and connect areas in West and North Kalimantan.

In West Kalimantan, soldiers will construct 171 km of the road, while in North Kalimantan soldiers will complete a project on a 78-km section of the road.

'€œWe expect the road project to be completed this year,'€ he said.

Earlier on Monday, the Public Works and Public Housing Ministry and the Army signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) that would allow the Army to take part in the construction project.

The ministry has allocated Rp 499 billion (US$38.5 million) for the project.

Public Works and Public Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono said the road project had met no significant hurdles with regard to carrying out a construction project in protected forests.

He also said that the project had not been faced with land-clearing issues.

According to Basuki, the 249-km section of the road to be constructed by the Army would be part of a 1,583-km road to be opened within the next three years in Kalimantan.

Basuki said the project would likely meet problems as about 600 km of the road would be constructed in a virgin forest.

The project in Kalimantan is part of a national project that will also be carried out in border regions in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) and Papua.

Basuki said the government had earmarked Rp 2 trillion to build roads in the border areas in Kalimantan, Papua and NTT in 2015.

'€œThe biggest chunk is for Kalimantan with Rp 1.1 trillion,'€ Basuki said.

Wuryanto said that for the construction project in Kalimantan, the Army would deploy six battalion. Also taking part in the project are personnel from the Tanjung Pura and Mulawarman Military Command headquarters.

Army chief of staff Gen. Gatot Nurmantyo has pledged that soldiers will work hard to complete the project.

'€œBorder areas in Kalimantan mean a lot to Indonesia'€™s defense and security. Besides, the area is a gate for economic activities with our neighbor, Malaysia,'€ Gatot said.

According to Gatot, economic conditions in Kalimantan'€™s border area should improve once the road construction project is complete.

The MoU is the first between the military and Public Works and Public Housing Ministry. The military previously signed deals with the Transportation Ministry, Law and Human Rights Ministry and Religious Affairs Ministry.

In early April, the military struck a deal with the Religious Affairs Ministry to carry out a joint campaign to stop radicalism, including the spread of the Islamic State (IS) movement in the country.

The military has also signed a deal with the Law and Human Rights Ministry that would allow the military to deploy personnel to guard prisons throughout the country as the ministry has run short of qualified prison guards.