AntaraJayapura (ANTARA) - Commander of the XVII Cendrawasih military command Maj. Gen. Yoshua Pandit Sembiring has clarified that soldiers, deployed in Nduga to secure their counterparts of the Army Combat Support Division engaged in bridge construction work, had not been called back.
"TNI (Indonesian military) soldiers currently serving in Nduga are, by and large, to offer security to their colleagues involved in constructing the bridge whose work had come to a standstill after the assault and murder of employees of PT Istaka Karya (a construction company) in Yal District," Sembiring told Antara in Jayapura.
He confirmed that no official request on the withdrawal of TNI members from Nduga had yet been received from the Nduga district head or other pertinent officials.
"Despite news circulating on the withdrawal of troops, including the Bupati Nduga, the truth remains that I have not received any letter over the withdrawal of troops from Nduga," he affirmed.
"We, the warriors, are willing to be deployed in any place in Indonesia, and this deployment is in line with the order, and not based on hype without being based on orders or command and must conform to clean bureaucracy," Sembiring remarked.
Nduga District Head Januarius Gwijangge, during an earlier meeting with President Joko Widodo in Jayapura on Monday (Apr 1), had put forth a request that non-organic troops presently stationed in Nduga be withdrawn.
Translator: Eliswan Azly
Editor: Bambang Purwanto
Copyright © ANTARA 2019
