Cross-Border Post or Pos Lintas Batas Negara (PLBN) is check point when people and goods entry to or exit from the Republic of Indonesia territory. The Integrated PLBN is located in the border area of Indonesia and other countries. The borders on lands are laid in sub-districts. This year, the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) continues the development of PLBN.
The development includes supporting facilities, infrastructure, and the road. There will be eleven PLBN to build and upgrade until the end of this year. The PLBN that are being built are Serasan in Riau Islands, Jagoi Babang and Sei Kelik in West Kalimantan, Long Nawang, Long Midang, dan Sei Pancang in North Kalimantan, Labang and Oepoli in Nusa Tenggara Timur, and Yetetkun in Papua province. Meanwhile, PLBN in Merauke has been built because the process conducted since 2019. Here, we will discuss the PLBN in Papua and West Papua.
Four Districts in Papua
The government in the province Papua and West Papua coordinate with the Border and Foreign Cooperation Agency to push the development of Cross-Border Post in four districts. The districts are Merauke, Keerom, Bintang Mountains and Boven Digoel.
Kepala Badan Pengelola Perbatasan dan Kerjasama Luar Negeri (BPPKLN)/Agency for Border Management and Foreign Cooperation for Papua, Suzana Wanggai, explains that they have been making a masterplan for Cross-Border Posts in the four districts along with Minister for Public Works and Public Housing.
According to Suzana, BPKLN Papua will consistently push the growth of border posts in the four districts. She believed that the development of PLBN in Papua and West Papua is essential and must be conducted as soon as possible along with the border areas.
PLBN Skouw
In Jayapura itself, PLBN in Skow is known as a big border in Papua. Hence, people only know about this Cross-Border Post even though the border length between countries that lies in Papua is 770 kilometers in total.
Luckily, in the era of President Joko Widodo, the central government has special attention to border areas. Therefore, out of the five boundaries in Papua, now the Skouw PLBN has already been built and only waited for the inauguration.
The development of PLBN in Skouw became the first focus and the progress was done gradually. It became the first center of attention because this border already has access and a very active Cross-Border Post. In fact, in the future, this PLBN in Skouw will become an international Cross-Border Post that requires a passport. Meanwhile, for the time being, other PLBN in Papua and West Papua can play the role of traditional border crossing only.
PLBN Sota
Besides PLBN in Skouw, PLBN Sota also becomes a new icon of PLBN in Papua and West Papua. Located in Merauke, Papua, PLBN Sota has been opened for the public in June 2020. The development of this Cross-Border Post was done in 2020 but the inauguration was held back due to the pandemic.
According to Deputy for State Defense Coordination, Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal and Security Affairs (Kemenko Polhukam), Major General TNI Hilman Hadi, President Joko Widodo is scheduled to inaugurate PLBN Sota this year.
Hilman Hadi is responsible for PLBN Sota as well. The head of the Merauke Regency Border Agency, Elyas Mite, also wished that Hilman hopefully give a report to President Joko Widodo about the completion of this Cross-Border Post in Merauke so that the inauguration can be done within this year.
PLBN Sota becomes the second Cross-Border Post after PLBN in Skouw in Jayapura that has undergone improvement. PLN Sota is a Cross-Border Post addition between Indonesia and Papua New Guinea.
PLBN Sota is divided into the main zone, sub-core, and supporting zone. In the main zone, there are Cross-Border posts, confiscated warehouses, clinics, Garuda monuments, gate buildings, and checkpoints. The main zone is also supported by a smooth access road and parking lot.
Sub core is supported by employee residents and guest house, while the supporting zone has rest areas, church, mosque, parking lot, and Sota Market with 13 trade stalls. In addition, the residential infrastructure around the Cross-Border Post will also be built drinking water supply system (SPAM), waste management site, communal toilets and septic tanks, environmental roads, and drainage for locals who live around the border.
PLBN Yetetkun
Another PLBN in Papua and West Papua is PLBN Yetetkun that scheduled to be ready in August 2021. The construction of PLBN Yetetkun in Ninati district, Boven Digoel regency is started in late February 2020.
Boven Digoel regency is a historical place because this area once became the seclusion place for Indonesian independence battlers like Indonesia’s first vice-President Mohammad Hatta during the Dutch colonial period. This location is about 422 kilometers from Merauke.
The development of this PLBN is hoped not only to be Cross-Border Post but also to be the center of new economic growth since the market is also built here.
That is the information about PLBN in Papua and West Papua. With the development of several Cross-Border posts in Papua, hopefully, the economy in this Cendrawasih Island will also grow.
