TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Foreign Ministry spokesman Michael Tene says the government hopes the Border Liaison Committee (BLC) will soon be activated in order to prevent conflicts in the region bordering Indonesia and Timor Leste. The committee was once formed by the government and United Nation’s Temporary Administration in Timor Leste in the year 2000.
"It has never been active since its formation. In the beginning of 2013, we agreed to reactivate it," Tene told Tempo on Monday.
Tene said the committee comprises of regional government officials from regions along the border of these two nations. The Indonesian representative includes officials from the East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) administration, North Timor district administration, and the Kupang administration.
With the activation of this committee, issues occurring in border regions should be better handled and resolved. Tene admitted that problems often arise due to residents in these areas having similar traditional relations, such as birthplaces and land.
Up until now, the Indonesian government and Timor Leste continue to discuss two segments of land demarcation that have not yet been settled in Oecussi, which include the Noel Besi-Citrana segment and Bijael Sunan-Oben segment.
In total, Tene added, almost 90 percent of land demarcation issues between Indonesia and Timor Leste have been settled.
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