Minister Of Defense-Menkeu To Papua Check The Front Guard Using Bulletproof Vests

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JAKARTA - Minister of Defense (Menhan) Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin and Minister of Finance (Menkeu) Sri Mulyani Indrawati visited Kenyam District, Nduga Regency, Papua Mountains, while wearing bullet-proof vests to review the condition of TNI soldiers at the forefront.

Head of the Defense Information Bureau of the Ministry of Defense Brigadier General Frega Ferdinand Wenas Inkiriwang said that the visit was aimed at convincing the country to align national defense and state finances to realize national security and stability.

"So that the Ministry of Finance (Ministry of Finance) also knows the obstacles faced in the assignment of TNI soldiers at the forefront in Papua, which are still prone to conflict," Frega said when contacted by ANTARA in Jakarta, Saturday.

He explained that Sjafrie and Sri Mulyani started their activities with arrival at Timika Airport, Central Papua, and continued their flight to Kenyam Airport.

Arriving in Kenyam, the group went straight to the Yonif 733/Masariku Tactical Command Post (Poskotis) to directly observe the situation and conditions in the field in the area. The visit, he said, was also the first visit for the Minister of Finance to a conflict-prone area in Nduga, Papua.

He explained that the Yonif 733/Masariku Command Post is one of the conflict-prone areas in Papua. The two ministers, according to him, also checked the equipment used by the soldiers to work.

"The two ministers together with delegates from the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Finance wore bullet-proof vests because the area is indeed a high-risk area in Papua," he said.

In addition to checking the condition of the terrain, according to him, the visit was also carried out as a form of accountability for the use of the state budget in the defense sector which is managed and supported by the Ministry of Finance.

He said that Sjafrie and Sri Mulyani's visit showed the commitment of the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Finance to work together to support the realization of national security and stability, even though they faced a number of risks in conflict-prone areas.

Through the visit, according to him, it is reflected in the synergy of state defense and state finances in maintaining sovereignty, as well as being a symbol of the strong cooperation across ministries in strengthening national stability, especially in areas with strategic security challenges such as Papua.

"State defense requires state financial support to make it happen. Vice versa, strong defense will support the economy so as to strengthen state finances," he said.