"To guard the sovereignty of the Unitary Republic of Indonesia, we will deploy soldiers from the Jaya Yudha 144 Infantry Battalion in Enggano island which is one of the countrys outlying islands and has strategic location," the commander of Garuda Mas Military Resort Command 041 in Bengkulu province, Colonel Andi Muhammad said on Sunday.
The personnel deployed to the 402.6 square kilometer island which is located in the Indian Ocean will be rotated, he said.
He said the soldiers will be deployed to the island next year.
Although the island has had sub-district military command, the number of personnel deployed to the island must be at least equal to a platoon of soldiers in view of its inhabitants, size, geographical location and social conditions, he said.
"The soldiers who will be assigned in Enggano Island will provide (inhabitants) with territorial guidance," he said.
Since Enggano is one of the countrys outlying islands, the state will unlikely turns its blind eye to the possibility of other units in the Sriwijaya Regional Military Command II guarding the island in the future, he said.
Enggano is one of the 92 officially listed outlying islands of Indonesia.(*)
Editor: Heru Purwanto
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