VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Feb. 22 - Personnel of the Indonesia-PNG Border Security Task Force worked with residents of Yetti Village, Arso Timur Sub-district, Keerom District, Papua, to dismantle building materials from an old chapel for reuse in building a new church.

Working alongside villagers to dismantle the old Mahanaim Chapel was part of the task force's community services to assist army personnel to get closer to the village residents, the task force's commanding officer, First Lieutenant Bagus Dwi Hartanto, stated here on Monday.

"We dismantle the building materials of the old Mahanaim Chapel. Several items, including tin roof, door and window jambs, wood foundation, and window glasses, are still in good condition, so they can be reused for building the new Mahanaim Chapel," he remarked.

The task force's personnel involved in the community service belong to Company C of the Army Strategic Reserves Command's (Kostrad's) Infantry Battalion/413 Mechanic Raider, Hartanto noted.

The task force's commander, Major Anggun Wuriyanto, praised the soldiers' community service while reminding them of the importance of staying safe and strictly adhering to health protocols to break the chain of COVID-19 transmission.

"May all soldiers remain safe," he stated in a radio communication with Hartanto.

Meanwhile, Priest Yanes, representing members of the Mahanaim Chapel congregation, expressed gratitude to the army personnel for their community service that would expedite the construction of the new Mahanaim Church.

"We dismantle the old chapel to reuse its usable building materials for our new church building. We are optimistic that its construction process would be accelerated to facilitate devout members of the congregation in their worship," he affirmed.

ANTARA noted that Indonesian soldiers, stationed in Papua and West Papua, had demonstrated their care for local communities.

Last month, several soldiers from the 11/MA Combat Engineering Detachment (Denzipur) had offered assistance to construct the Asy-Syifa Islamic Boarding School in Sidomulyo Village, Semangga Sub-district, Merauke District, Papua Province.

The army personnel's community service reflected the Indonesian Military's (TNI's) care for improving the quality of education for children in Papua, according to Asy-Syifa Islamic Boarding School Principal K.POH Ach Sholeh.

Sholeh thanked the combat engineering detachment's personnel that had partaken in the efforts to build the Islamic boarding school that was developed from a Quran recitation learning center.

The TNI is expected to continue to uphold its unity with the local tribal, community, and religious leaders, he stated.

In demonstrating their care for the development of human resources in Papua and West Papua, several soldiers, especially those stationed near the Indonesia-Papua New Guinea border areas, are also assigned to become voluntary teachers at schools.

To this end, several members of the Indonesia-PNG Border Security Task Force in Merauke District, Papua Province, have adeptly shouldered this responsibility.

They have extended voluntary assistance to teachers at 12 elementary schools in the sub-districts of Sota, Neukenjerai, Eligobel, and Ulilin in Merauke District since July 2019.

They teach reading, writing, and mathematics to students, Commander of the task force at the Army Strategic Reserves Command's (Kostrad's) MR 411/PDW Infantry Battalion Major Rizky Aditya noted in a statement last year. (Antaranews)