Source: Berita Sore - March 4, 2009

 

Malaysia Moves Border Poles Into RI’s Land For Oil Palm Plantations

 

Border demarcation is always regarded as a source of conflict between one country including that on a 2,004 kilometers long borderline shared by Indonesia and Malaysia.

 

What hurts much is that often some border poles had been allegedly moved a few meters into Indonesian territory just for sake of palm oil plantations. The border poles erected during the Dutch colonial era are longer in their original places.

 

More ridiculous is reports on missing of border poles are often associated with activities of private sectors or irresponsible individuals, not the doings of the Malaysian government.

 

Tanjungpura Regional Military Commander Major General Tono Suratman said in Pontianak on Monday the border poles that had been moved are those in the Bitung Karihun National Park, Kapuas Hulu district, West Kalimantan province.

 

Some indications said that Malaysia had occupied the border region land of Indonesia for the development of oil palm plantations by first moving the border poles of the two countries a few meters into Benua Martinus sub-district, Kapuas Hulu district, West Kalimantan.

 

“The finding of the border poles which had been moved from their original places was based on reports that I received from my men who were on routine patrol in the Betung Karihun National Park (TNBK) in Kapuas Hulu district sometime ago,” Tono Suratman said when attending the transfer of post of the Kalimantan region accelerated development and revitalization cooperation forum from Central Kalimantan Governor A Teras Narang to West Kalimantan Governor Cornelis on Monday.

 

He said the report from his men in the field said Malaysia had built a road from Tanah Kuning five to six meters wide in Indonesian territory by moving the border markers.

 

“We have yet to know the exact number of border poles which have been moved into the Indonesian territory, but the most striking development is that they (Malaysia) had built a road in our land,” he said.

 

Tono Suratman said his side has yet to take action because location could be reached only on foot in four days.

 

Earlier, Alambhana Wanawwai district military commander Col. Nukman Kosadi said his side found that around 50 border poles shared by West Kalimantan and Sarawak had gone missing.

 

According to him, the border poles are now missing in a two kilometers long area in Bukit Ratu and Muba Mountanious, Kapuas Hulu district.

 

“The missing border poles are of type B and for the time being our allegation is that the missing of border poles was associated with land clearance for the building of a road serving the Malaysian palm estates,” he said. His command has reported the missing border poles of the two countries to Malaysian troops. “They said the missing poles had been moved by the plantation company, not by the Malaysian government,” he said. Nukman added that his side had reported the case to the Tanjungpura military authorities, the military headquarters and Indonesian land ministry.

 

However he suspected that the missing number of border poles will increase in view of the land borderline between Indonesia and Malaysia in Kalimantan which may reach 2,004 kilometers, including 857 km in West Kalimantan, and 1,147 km in east Kalimantan.

 

West Kalimantan is prone to illegal activities like conflicts aimed at exploiting natural resources and illegal logging, illegal trade, smuggling, trafficking, infiltration, sabotage, foreign intelligence operations, and others.

 

As a matter of fact, the two countries had signed a new border security deal in December 2008 which was expected to relieve tension over illegal logging, human trafficking, terrorism and the shifting of poles into Indonesian territory often seen as obstacle to the two developing relations between the two countries.

 

The missing of border poles in the border areas in Kalimantan which have been damaged and moved into Indonesian territory were detrimental to the interest of this world largest archipelagic country.

 

The deal covers coordination of military personnel in the border areas. Both countries will each assign two battalions in Simanggaris (East Kalimantan), Entikong (West Kalimantan), and Biawak (Sarawak, Malaysia).

 

According to Nizar, an expert in International Law at the Hassanuddin state university said the two countries in November, 2008, also agreed to adopt a standing procedure on coordinated air patrols over their common border.

 

The cooperation and supervision of border areas would be effective, if air patrols were also involved in monitoring security conditions along the border prone to illegal activities in addition to the moving of border poles into Indonesian territory, he said.

 

What has to be done by the two countries is taking concrete steps by forming teams in charge of restoring the missing border poles to their original places, Nizar said.

 

The cooperation should not focus on joint border patrol, but more important on efforts to restore the missing border poles, he said.

 

Earlier, Defense Minister Juwono Sudarsono said Indonesia and Malaysia had a common interest in promoting the prosperity of people living along their shared boundaries, in protecting them, assuring their security, and preserving the environment in their frontiers.

 

Nevertheless, he added, the two parties should not become complacent because more dynamic and complex problems continue to occur along the border.

 

“Efforts to deal with non-traditional security threats and challenges such as smuggling, terrorism, illegal logging, illegal fishing and human trafficking — which have been discussed many times in Southeast Asian regional forums — need to be strengthened at bilateral level as well,” Sudarsono said. ( ant/ Eliswan Azly )