Outermost Islands Must Be Guarded: TNI Commander

Rondo (Antara Bali) - The outermost islands must be guarded, and no party must be allowed to take an iota of it, Indonesian Military (TNI) Commander General Moeldoko stated here on Thursday.

"No iota of land of the outermost islands must be allowed to come under the control of other parties. The TNI soldiers will continue to safeguard the islands," he noted while visiting the island of Rondo in the Sumatran province of Aceh.

The general visited the island to inspect the readiness of TNI soldiers assigned to guard the outermost island. Moreover, he also dedicated a Teuku Umar national hero monument that had been built on the island.

The Rondo Island is located in the Indian Ocean and borders the Nicobar island of India. The island lies north of Weh Island and is administratively under the jurisdiction of the city administration of Sabang.

General Moeldoko remarked that the outermost islands are the sovereignty of the Unitary State of Indonesia (NKRI), and hence, they must be guarded against any kind of threat from any quarter.

"Every threat on the outermost island must be driven away. The islands must not be allowed to be taken by any quarter because the countrys sovereignty lies on the island," he said.

Regarding the monument, the general stated that it had been built to boost the fighting spirit of the TNI soldiers guarding the countrys sovereignty on the island.

The monument also aims to strengthen the history of Aceh on the island, which is part of the province.

"The TNI built the Teuku Umar national hero monument on Rondo Island to serve as a testament to Indonesias sovereignty on the island, which is undisputable. Teuku Umar is a national hero hailing from Aceh," General Moeldoko stated. (WDY)