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Islands focus: Soldiers sent to Timor Leste border
Call of duty: Soldiers climb into the KRI Teluk Bone warship at Dwikora Port in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, on Wednesday
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span class="caption">Call of duty: Soldiers climb into the KRI Teluk Bone warship at Dwikora Port in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, on Wednesday. Soldiers from the 641/Beruang Infantry Battallion have been assigned to maintain security along the Timor Leste border.(JP/Severianus Endi)
Three hundred and fifty soldiers from West Kalimantan’s Tanjungpura Military Command have been assigned to keep peace along the border between Indonesia and Timor Leste, to patrol smuggling among other things.
The soldiers were transported to the boarder area on board the KRI Teluk Bone warship on Wednesday.
Tanjungpura chief of staff Brig. Gen. Supriyadi said the soldiers had mainly been assigned to protect the sovereignty of Indonesia. However, they need also to prevent illegal activities along the border area, including drug trafficking.
“They will also conduct territorial training and serve as teachers and medical staff. They have been assigned for nine months,” Supriyadi said.
The 350 soldiers from the 641/Beruang Infantry Battalion will replace fellow soldiers from the 10/Kostrad Artillery Battalion.
641/Beruang Infantry Battallion commander Lt. Col. Wisnu Herlambang said the soldiers had undergone preparatory training for six months, to understand local culture and customs. “A special preparation program was organized to enable the soldiers help customs, immigration and quarantine staff. This is new for the soldiers,” he said, adding that the preparation will hopefully help the soldiers perform well.
