The PNG government is waiting for the work on our building to be completed."Jayapura (ANTARA News) - A border checkpoint being built in Skouw, Muara Tami, Jayapura, Papua, that shares border with Wutung, Vanimo, Papua New Guinea (PNG), will prevent drug smuggling, Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Wiranto stated.
The government is paying attention to the reports on drug smuggling in the border area, hence a check-post is being set up, Wiranto noted here on Friday.
The construction of the check-post is expected to be completed in October 2016.
Wiranto had visited Papua on Thursday along with Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut Panjaitan, Australian Attorney General George Brandis, and Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Paul Gripson to review the condition in the countrys easternmost and most backward region.
The governments of Indonesia and PNG have reached an agreement to jointly inaugurate the cross-border post.
"The PNG government is waiting for the work on our building to be completed. Their building is a completely ready," Head of Cross Border Management and Foreign Cooperation Suzana D. Wanggai stated here on Thursday.
She emphasized the importance of constructing the cross-border post in Skouw as it will serve as an entry point to Indonesia from the Pacific region.
"We have to keep our territory safe and protect our border areas as they are the entry gates to our nation," Suzana affirmed.
The Skouw checkpoint is being built on a 10.7-hectare plot of land, and the building has an area of 7,619 square meters.
The land border crossings between Indonesia and PNG are located in five cities/districts: Jayapura, Keerom, Pegunungan Bintang, Boven Digoel, and Marauke.
Indonesia shares a 760-kilometer-long border with PNG that extends from Skouw in Jayapura City on the north to the estuary of Bensbach River in Merauke on the south.
The border line has been established through an agreement between the governments of the Netherlands and Great Britain on May 16, 1895.
(Uu.F001/INE/KR-BSR/F001)
Editor: Priyambodo RH
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