Indonesia deploys military to complete road project in West Papua

By Anadolu staff

ANKARA (AA) - Indonesia has deployed the military to help accelerate a long-delayed key road project which has been plagued by setbacks because of security threats from armed groups in the region, media reports said Tuesday.

The 4,330-kilometer (2,690-mile) Trans Papua Road project, now a partnership between the Public Works Ministry and the Indonesian Military (TNI), has been under construction since 2014 but has connected 3,446 kilometers to date, the Jakarta Globe reported.

Maj. Gen. Kristomei Sianturi, head of the TNI Information Center, cited security threats posed by the KKB criminal group, as the main obstacle to completion of the project.

The group has long been targeting construction workers involved in the project, including a deadly 2018 ambush that resulted in 19 casualties.

The government aims to complete the project under President Prabowo Subianto’s administration.

Director General of Highways at the Public Works Ministry, Roy Rizali Anwar, said the TNI’s support will focus on building access roads in underdeveloped, frontier and outermost areas, including Papua and Kalimantan.

“Construction will target 11 priority locations. We will conduct surveys, calculate the budget needs, and allocate funding through the state budget according to the country’s financial capacity,” said Roy.

*Writing by Aamir Latif