71st Independence Day: National Flag Raised on Timor Leste Border

TEMPO.CO, Kupang - In the celebration of Indonesia’s 71st Independence Day, the Border Security Task Force (Pamtas) of the Republic of Indonesia-Timor Leste border, western sector of Yon Raider 321 Gt, Pos Baen, raised the Red-White flag on the summit of Fiso Hill, Wednesday, August 17, 2016. Fiso Hill is the border between Indonesia and Timor Leste.

The flag measuring 5 meters in length and 2 meters in width were raised on a 25-meter-high pole in a joint ceremony participated by the residents of Nainaban Village, Bikomi Nilulat Sub-district, North Timor Tengah District, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT).

The commander of Pamtas RI-Timor Leste western sector Yon Raider 321 GT Lieutenant Colonel Inf. Mohammad Ghoffar said that aside from showing the love of residents in the border for the Republic of Indonesia, the ceremony is carried out to foster the nationalism of the residents on the independence day. “It is a prove the people’s love for the country,” he said.

The residents in the border who wore the simple attire of rusty traditional garment and shorts without footwear attended the modest flag raising ceremony. To raise the flag, the residents and the National Armed Forces (TNI) members had to walk roughly 3 kilometers to reach the summit of Fiso Hill in 45 minutes.

Prior to the Red-White flag raising ceremony, residents held a traditional ritual on the summit of Fiso Hill by slaughtering a chicken, which blood was dropped onto a stone surface as a sacrifice to the spirit of the fallen heroes in the battlefield. “It’s a ritual to respect the spirit of the heroes. We promise to maintain the unity of the Republic of Indonesia,” said indigenous leader Yoseph Mona.

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