1 Apr 2016

Special budget needed to control PNG-Indonesia border

6:31 pm on 1 April 2016

The Governor of Indonesia's Papua province has asked the central government to spare a special budget to manage the area around the border with Papua New Guinea.

RNZI's Johnny Blades and Koroi Hawkins interview the Governor of Papua Province Lukas Enembe.

RNZI's Johnny Blades and Koroi Hawkins got to interview the elusive Lukas Enembe last year. Photo: RNZI/Koroi Hawkins

Tabloid Jubi reports that Lukas Enembe made the call when laying the first stone of Skouw Integrated Cross Border Station this week.

The governor said that inclusive authority was needed to manage the border area, for which he expected all government programmes at national and regional levels to be integrated in both co-ordination and implementation.

Mr Enembe explained that each year about 30,000 legal and illegal travellers crossed the border.

He admitted the current border region infrastructure was not yet optimal.

The governor said it led to many illegal activities, such as illegal fishing, fuel and firearm smuggling as well as drug trafficking.

He said it was very important to build a cross border station for that reason, particularly to consider the tenure customary rights in Papua and PNG.

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