Toropo responds to border issue
THE setting up of an Indonesian border post at Torasi River is a serious infringement on Papua New Guinea’s sovereignty and an act of aggression against it, says PNG Defence Force Commander Maj-Gen Gilbert Toropo.
Toropo confirmed that the infrastructure was not at Bensbach River as reported on social media but was in fact at the mouth of the Torasi River.
He made the comments after pictures were circulated on the country’s main social media platform, Facebook, alleging that the Indonesian government had built a naval border post at Bensbach River with their fishing boats anchored there.
Toropo said he was aware of the illegal maritime base at the Torasi River and the issue was first raised in 2012.
“Since then, the matter was brought up in the annual joint border talks between the officials of Indonesia and PNG,” he said.
“The PNG Government lodged a diplomatic note of concern in 2012 to the Indonesian government but this needs to be pursued,” Toropo said.
2 comments
Nations are fighting for border infringements around the world. India verses China for example. This is the second border infringement by Indonesia after Wutung as I have learnt from the media. Maybe this is confidential for the government and the departments responsible but we must not be complacent. What have we been doing with this problem? Fighting over border infringements is natural just like your own block of land with your neighbor and you would not allow your neighbor to make infringements over your land. What have our military men and policemen been doing? Have they made an attempt to stop it? It is better to stop developments than to try to remove it later.
2018/08/29 National report
Despite knowing for six years of this illegal Indonesian naval base at Torasi River here is the PNG’s kowtowing Foreign Minister Pato –
“Both Indonesia and PNG have worked hard to ensure that our friendship is firm and forever and we continue to work on it today. Building on the 1986 Treaty of Mutual Respect, Friendship and Cooperation, we have in recent years signed multiple memoranda of understanding to enhance our neighbourly relationship. That is especially the case in our border region……………..”
Someone once said, “You only know they are lying when they move their lips.
Oh does PNG still have a solitary policeman at Morehead to patrol his border area?
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