People crying out for help, development at the border

The National senior reporter CLIFFORD FAIPARIK visited Wereave and Sota nestled along the Southern Papua New Guinea (PNG)-Indonesia border on Oct 18 and 19 and found shocking comparative living conditions on both sides of the border. And, it did not look good for Papua New Guineans in Wereave.

A VISIT to Wereave, PNG’s border village with Indonesia, revealed shocking living standards for Papua New Guineans compared with the Indonesians (including Papuans) in Sota town.
Since border villagers are the first PNG citizens to greet international tourists, such appalling conditions can only give a bad impression to the country, reflecting deteriorating and lacking infrastructure, and pathetic socio-economic status.

Wereave, with about 400 people, is in Western’s South Fly and Sota, with about 3,000 Indonesians, is in the Merauke Regency (District) in Papua Province of Indonesia.
The villagers are worried about their future in accessing Government services like health and education and to benefit from economic activities.
But the Indonesians in Sota, only about a kilometre away from the border, look carefree as they progress with services and development delivered by their Government – and, at the same time, are actively participating in economic activities. It is an international embarrassment where on the Indonesian side there is massive infrastructure and economic development but PNG villagers live in poverty deprived of Government services. On the Indonesian side, there is the Sota town with excellent Government services like health and education, paved roads, electricity and water supplies and other infrastructure that help stimulate and supplement economic activities.
Whereas in PNG (Wereave), there is none of those but bush and dirt road with villagers staring at a blank future. They worry about their children’s education and health as there are no school and health centres.
On the Indonesian side, there are lights from electricity but in PNG, villagers are only using kerosene lamps, battery operated torches and fire wood. In Wereave, villagers fetch water from water holes that go dry during hot seasons but in Sota, there is running water from tanks all year round.
When PNG villagers travel to Sota town to buy store goods like rice or access health services, they travel by vehicles on paved roads.
But when returning to their home border, they have to get out of their vehicles, lug their goods and walk across to the PNG side because there is just a dirt road and no vehicles to travel another 13km to the nearest PNG government station in South Fly’s Weam.
There is also no bridge at Wereave River, PNG’s last riverine at the international border.
On the Indonesian side, there is a trans-border highway (about 200km) that links to Merauke city, Sota and then up to Bupul town which is about 21km opposite PNG’s Boset in North Fly.
This highway also links to other Indonesian towns that have water and electricity supplies, and other Government services.
On the PNG side of the border, there are no roads along the Border to link South, Middle and North Fly, with villagers still living in remoteness without any access to Government services.
Why PNG Government has neglected the need to develop its border, the Indonesians are constructing a Border Administration Complex which has allegedly encroached the international 141 degrees meridian border line along the PNG-Indonesian border.

Wiri … Government turning a blind eye on encroachment issues
Jayapura based PNG Consul-General Geoffrey Wiri is not happy about it and will raise it with the Foreign Affairs Departments of both countries to immediately address this (alleged) encroachment.
“Early this year, I have already advised Foreign Affairs about the (alleged) encroachment of the construction to the PNG Government but there had been no response or action.
“Our Foreign Affairs officers in Port Moresby seem to turn a blind eye on such reports concerning our sovereignty. The construction has to be stopped for a verification team of land surveyors from both countries to verify the border markers.
“I am not against the construction of the complex because both countries will benefit in terms of border security management. It is just that I am upset the construction has (allegedly) encroached into PNG territory,” he added.
Wiri said: “The border complex after completion will house border agencies like Customs, National Quarantine Inspection Authority and Immigration.
“Such (alleged border) encroachments are (happening) because the PNG Government is neglecting development along its border.
“Unlike the massive infrastructure development by the Indonesians on their side of the border, which at times (allegedly) encroached into PNG side.
“So I will call on Foreign Affairs officers to have an urgent meeting to discuss the construction of the complex in Sota. We need to have a joint verification meeting by technical surveyors from both countries to confirm whether the complex has encroached into the PNG side.

“There should at least be a 50m buffer or no man’s land zone between Indonesia and PNG for citizens of both countries to move freely in a neutral zone.
“But the way the construction is shaping, there is no buffer zone and it seems the buffer zone will be pushed back into PNG territory. Just like at the Wutung- Skouw Border in West Sepik, the Indonesian had (allegedly) encroached about 70m into the PNG side.
“Such (alleged) encroachment occurs because the PNG Government, especially the Foreign Affairs, is very slow in addressing issues that affect PNG international boundaries.”
During the visit, The National met 10 PNG Defence Force soldiers at the Wereave military outpost where they also face water and food supply woes. Their supplies are about 240km away in Daru. And their struggle, especially for water supply, which is now the dry season, has prompted Wereave villagers to seek help from Sota.

Yanai … PNGDF soldiers sought help from Indonesians
Wereave villager Sailas Yanai said that PNGDF soldiers sought help from the Indonesian border officers in Sota for water supply.
“I had to seek help from Indonesian soldiers to supply water to the PNGDF soldiers manning the military check point in Wereave. We had water shortages for three days and so I approached the Indonesia soldiers to build a make shift water tank for the PNGDF soldiers.
“The Indonesian soldiers provided water to fill up the tank. The PNGDF soldiers also don’t have electricity at their outpost and they use candle and torches for lights, whereas the Indonesian soldiers have electricity and lightings at their outpost.
“Even the Indonesian Merauke local government had to supply iron roofing for the PNGDF soldiers to build their outpost’s roof,” he added.
Yanai said the National Government, South Fly Member of Parliament Sekie Agisa and Western Governor Awi Yoto should assist the soldiers.
“We have to walk about 13km from the Weam Forward base to Wereave where the border stone is located. They have a vehicle at Weam. But they can’t drive to the outpost because there is no bridge across the Wereave River.

The Government has to build a bridge or a pontoon across the Wereave River so that we are able to drive along the road to the border.”
Yanai urged the PNG Government to arrange with the Indonesian Government for the PNGDF soldiers to get their food supplies from Sota which is much closer.
“Now they have to get their supplies from Daru and it is so far away. Apart from the PNGDF soldiers facing hardship, we (villagers) are also in the same situation.
“And we want the Government to develop our side so that we can be developed, just like the Indonesians in Sota. And I have been waiting for the Government to build a border complex on my side.
“They (Indonesians) are constructing their complex but we have nothing,” he added.
Yanai said that instead of waiting for the National Government to bring development, “we have gone our own way to participate in economic spin offs in Sota”.
“So, with the help of the Merauke local government, we built our market to sell our goods to Indonesian tourists and Sota town residents.
“We sell handicraft, wild life, fish from the river and swamp, and garden food.
“But we do go across to Sota on Traditional Border Cross (TBC) permits for shopping. We are in dire need of development that can only be realised with the National Government’s commitment,” he added.

Tilau … reintroduce the Border Development grants to help border officers
Meanwhile, West Sepik administrator Conrad Tilau wants the National Government to reintroduce the Border Development grants to help border officers man the PNG-Indonesian border.
“Previously, the Western and West Sepik provinces use to receive such grants to look after the needs of border agency officers when they are on operations along the border. Such grants were stopped when the Border Development Authority (BDA) was established in 2009. Since the BDA has now been abolished, such grants should be given back to us to look after border officers like the PNGDF soldiers who are now facing water supply problems at the Wereave military outpost.