East Timor, Indonesia to start border demarcation survey next week

The process of demarcating common land borders between Indonesia and East Timor is slated to begin next week, the United Nations mission in the soon-to-be independent nation said today.

The UN Transitional Administration in East Timor (UNTAET) stressed that the launch of the border demarcation process has been a major goal of the UN before the end of the transition period.

The effort is scheduled to begin next week when representatives of East Timor and Indonesia will start a Joint Reconnaissance Survey (JRS) that will involve experts from both countries' mapping and surveying agencies and representatives from each side's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Logistical support and security will be provided by UNTAET's peacekeeping force and the Indonesian military.

A technical meeting to prepare the JRS was held on 18 April in Denpasar, Indonesia, and resulted in a decision to begin the survey process in Atambua, West Timor, on Monday 22 April.

The joint survey team will spend 12 days carrying out survey work on both sides of the tactical coordination lines that currently divide East Timor and West Timor and surround East Timor's Oecussi enclave. The team will attempt to locate old border markers and study geological features, local social issues and technical issues.