Why this NTT border post is worth a visit

[ad_1]

Jakarta(ANTARA) –

If you have been to the North Central Timor District in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) province, your trip would not be complete without visiting the Cross-Border Post (PLBN) Wini in Humusu C Village.

President Joko Widodo inaugurated the cross-border post, located five to six hours’ drive from the provincial government seat of Kupang, on January 19, 2018. The PLBN Wini Post is a gateway for the people of Indonesia and Timor-Leste and one of the most majestic buildings in Timor-Leste.

There are three border posts in Timor-Leste Province, located in Motaain (PLBN Motaain) in Beru District, Motamasin (PLBN Motamasin) in Malaka District and Wini (PLBN Wini) in North Central Timor District. All three cross-border posts are Class A border posts.

When visitors enter the gate of PLBN Wini, they will see the words “Wini Indonesia” written in red and white. These words have become an iconic landmark of PLBN and visitors often use them as a background for selfies.

Don Gaspar, chief administrative officer of PLBN Wini, said the cross-border station integrates several cross-border services such as immigration, customs, quarantine, police and military.

Gaspar said the integration of these services is intended to help officials monitor the flow of people in and out, which currently is about 100 people a day and can reach 200-300 people a day during holidays.

He said an average of 25 vehicles pass through PLBN every day.

He said most people cross the border to go to work and participate in traditional events.

He explained that people living in the border areas between Indonesia and Timor-Leste have strong traditional and emotional ties, which leads to high cross-border mobility.

He said that by operating the majestic PLBN, Indonesia is safeguarding its territorial integrity in parts of Timor Island. He added that the massive structure of the cross-border outpost sends a signal to other countries that Indonesia truly cares about all its regions, including its border areas.

“Our country has built such a magnificent border to show its neighbors that our government also properly manages Indonesia’s border areas,” he said.

The cross-border outpost covers an area of about 5 hectares and is divided into two areas: the core area and the support area.

The core area supports the transit of goods, people and vehicles. It houses a comprehensive inspection building, a dog kennel and a car wash for disinfecting vehicles coming from Timor-Leste.

The core area also houses a weigh bridge, large vehicle detention building, bypass building, and departure and arrival checkpoints.

The supporting area includes a hotel and a multi-functional building. The hotel costs about 370,000 rupiah (24 USD) per night, and the multi-functional building costs 1.4 million rupiah (9,070 USD) per day.

In addition, the supporting area also has PLBN non-local staff housing, a market, a food court and a plaza.

The Indonesian government does not charge a fee for those travelling to PLBN Wini. However, those wishing to cross the border into East Timor will need to show their passport. The border crossing is open daily from 8am to 11am and from 1pm to 4pm.

Empowering local residents
PLBN Wini has also become a hub for the local economy as it employs many local residents as security, cleaning and technical staff, thereby empowering them.

It is expected that the rights of residents living near PLBN will be protected and economic growth will be promoted, thereby improving the living standards of the people.

In addition, Gaspar said that in order to develop the PLBN, the government purchased land from local residents. A land clearance agreement was reached between the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR), the North Central Timor government and the landowners.

The landowners accepted the government’s offer to buy the land on the condition that their children would be given the opportunity to work at the cross-border outposts.

PLBN Wini offers three types of jobs, namely technicians, security guards and cleaners. Currently, the company provides job opportunities for 98 local workers.

In January 2016, the Ministry of Public Works and Public Relations conducted its first staff recruitment. At that time, there were 10 students among the job seekers. As they were minors, these 10 students could not continue to work in the Ministry of Public Works and Public Relations.

However, after completing their studies in August 2017, these students were finally hired as employees.

Subsequently, in 2019, the PUPR Ministry recruited local workers for the support area. The salary rate offered by the Ministry is in line with the NTT Province minimum wage of IDR 1.975 million (USD 128). Employee candidates can also enjoy social security programs.

The government believes that involving locals as employees of PLBN Wini and boosting economic activities in border areas will stimulate economic growth and improve the welfare of locals.

[ad_2]

Source link