Indonesian Army Deploys 700 Additional Soldiers to West Papua
Translator
Ricky Mohammad Nugraha
Editor
Petir Garda Bhwana
Rabu, 12 Februari 2020 12:07 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Army (TNI AD) has officially deployed 700 military personnel to fill a number of ‘preparation military commands’ (Koramil) freshly established across the West Papua region.
This was announced by the Army Deputy Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Tatang Sulaiman in his visit to the XVIII/Kasuari military district command (Kodam) in Manokwari. His presence at the location was also to brief the soldiers who were freshly deployed to the region.
In his speech to the soldiers present; “You are all now in Indonesia’s most-eastern region. Strengthen your willingness to commit to the task. You will find many experiences here. First and foremost, understand the local Papuan customs and meet local people,” said Tatang.
Tatang also encouraged the soldiers in the Manokwari Koramil, which is at its third year of operation, by accentuating the country’s appreciation toward the 700 under operational control (BKO) soldiers tasked at the new military commands from promotions up to assignment pay.
Prior to the additional troops, the 3-year old military command’s personnel fulfillment was at 39 percent capacity. These Indonesian Army soldiers will spend one year in West Papua.