Cross Border Post Sota, Merauke, South Papua Province, borders the Republic of Indonesia with Papua New Guinea (PNG).

Since it was inaugurated by President Joko Widodo in October 2021, the Sota cross border post has become one of the front porches of Indonesian territory that represents the face of the nation. Its existence is also a showcase for Indonesia.

The border area is Indonesia’s front porch which represents the face of the nation, so it must be built so that it can represent the progress of the nation and state, which makes all Indonesian people proud.

Therefore, the Government has asked relevant officials to rebuild cross-border posts at various state borders throughout the country.

The presence of this cross border post, which is located at the eastern tip of Indonesia, is believed to provide various benefits for society, both in terms of security, economy and increasing nationalism.

The Sota cross border post in Merauke was built by the Indonesian Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing. The construction of cross border posts is not only aimed at cross-border posts, more than that it will also be encouraged to become a center for new economic growth, one of which is by building markets.

In this way, the presence of cross border posts will improve the welfare of people in border areas.

Cross border posts are managed by the National Border Management Agency of Indonesia. The formation of this body is a mandate from Law Number 43 of 2008 concerning State Territory.

Then, in 2021, the Indonesian National Border Management Agency Regulation Number 1 of 2021 concerning Cross Border Post Typology was issued. This regulation was signed by the Head of the Indonesian National Border Management Agency, Tito Karnavian, on January 4 2021 and has been in effect since the same date.

Cross border posts are divided into land and sea. Cross-border supervision and services are the implementation of customs, immigration and quarantine supervision and services.

The Sota cross border post stands on an area of 5.6 hectares. The design adopts local ornaments and wisdom ranging from the shape, color of the tifa, to motifs from local tribes.

The Sota cross border post is included in category C, which means the number of passers-by at this post is still below 5,000 passers-by every month. For CROSS BORDER POST Sota, every day there are 20-30 border crossers who pass through this post.

“Those below are type C like Sota and Yetetkun because their passers are still under 5,000. “That is the typology of cross border posts in Indonesia,” said the head of cross border post Sota Ni Luh Puspa Jayaningsih when interviewed by the media at the location on Monday.

Traditional crossers are served more often at type C cross border posts because they check the goods they carry for daily consumption, for example, basic necessities.

“In type A, the classes are import and export. Type C is generally for daily consumption, basic needs. “However, it does not rule out the possibility that in the future it could be the same, type A,” he continued.

Type A has a minimum land area of 10 hectares (ha) and a building area for the core zone of at least 9,000 m2 and supporting zone buildings of 5,000 m2. The number of people passing is 7,500 per month and 100 vehicles with a maximum weight of 40 tons.

Then type B, has an office on a minimum of 10 ha of land. Then, the building area in the core zone is 7,000 m2 and the supporting zone is 4,000 m2. Then, the number of people passing through is between 1,000-7,500 every month. Then, 30-100 vehicles with a maximum weight of 20 tons per vehicle.

Depends on Cross Border Post Sota

Two years since it was inaugurated by President Jokowi, the Sota cross border post is not only a border for Indonesian citizens and PNG citizens who want to cross, but also for PNG citizens who enter Indonesian territory to gain access to education, health and worship.

The Papua New Guinean Kanum Traditional Leader, Slasianay (61), said that Papua New Guinean border residents are quite dependent on the existence of the Sota CROSS BORDER POST.

“Usually the doors are open from Monday to Friday until the afternoon, we usually sell inside to make money, selling things like deer meat, fish, etc.,” he said in fluent Indonesian.

PNG residents who sell goods at Sota Market then receive rupiah currency which is then used to buy various other needs before returning to their country.

“After we sell the proceeds to Sota Market, we turn them into rupiah, mostly for shopping inside, such as salt and sugar, and then we come back again. “Because it’s far away to buy rice in Papua New Guinea, so it’s closer to Sota,” said the grandfather, who claims to be fluent in seven languages.

The head of the Sota cross border post, Ni Luh Puspa Jayaningsih, said that market days at the Sota border are open from Monday to Friday, on average 15-25 people enter per day, but when entering religious holidays, the number can be more.

According to the Balinese woman, since it was inaugurated, all exchange processes have not experienced any problems, everything has gone smoothly, both traders and residents from PNG.

It’s not just a matter of getting basic necessities, many border children from Wariaber Village go to school in Sota District because the distance is closer.

In Sota there are schools from elementary school to high school. Worship activities, efforts to get clean water, as well as access to health, are also not uncommon for residents of the Kanum Tribe or Wariaber Village in Sota.

“The little children from earlier went to school here, the hospital is here, and their Sunday worship is here,” said Puspa.