Keerom, Papua (ANTARA) – Soldiers stationed near the Indonesia-Papua New Guinea border in Keerom district of Papua helped residents of Somografi village, Web sub-district renovate a Catholic church, as part of a community service initiative.
The personnel involved in the community service belong to the 403 Infantry Battalion/Wirasada Pratista’s Indonesia-PNG Border Security Task Force, the task force’s commanding officer, Lt.Col.Ade Pribadi Siregar, informed.
Once the Santa Maria Church is cleaned and renovated, the congregation is expected to be more comfortable while attending Sunday prayer services, he said in a statement released here on Monday.
The church’s clean-up and renovation is being led by Somografi security checkpoint commanding officer, 2nd Lt Muhammad Raka Regnata, he informed adding that he hoped locals would feel the benefits of the presence of the Indonesian Defence Forces (TNI) in their village.
While continuing to uphold unity with their Papuan brothers and sisters, the soldiers will also join efforts to strengthen the practices of interfaith tolerance among community members, he added.
ANTARA has earlier reported on Indonesian soldiers deployed in Papua helping locals through community services involving the provision of staple food, healthcare, mobile library, voluntary teaching, and street clean-up programs.
Last week, in the midst of a COVID-19 resurgence, seven soldiers donated bags of rice to native Papuans in Baidub village, Ulilin sub-district, Merauke district.
“We shared a little bit of what we get with our Papuan brothers and sisters,” commanding officer of the 611 Infantry Battalion/Awang Long’s Indonesia-Papua New Guinea Border Security Task Force, Lt.Col. Albert Frantesca, said.
The rice was distributed to locals by the border security checkpoint’s commanding officer, Second Lieutenant (2d Lt) Nyoman, and six soldiers. The donation will hopefully help ease the villagers’ burden, Frantesca said.
In February this year, several soldiers from the 756/WMS Infantry Battalion’s security task force had offered mobile health services to people residing in Beanekogom village, Tembagapura sub-district, Mimika district.
Such health services have routinely been offered as part of the task force’s community service initiatives to ensure that locals are in good health, officials said.
The task force’s commander, Major Marolop Edison Bala Hutapea, stated that the TNI is mindful of the difficulties faced by local residents and maintains an emotional connect with them.
Sincerity in conducting community services and tending to the needs of local communities would help make the TNI security posts useful to them, he added.
Source: Antara News