[Okmintv.com]- The head of the Suara Timur Indonesia Foundation, Gabriel Goa, has urged the central government to respond swiftly to the needs of regions that share direct borders with neighbouring countries, including Papua’s Pegunungan Bintang district, which lies adjacent to Papua New Guinea.
Informally talking to reporters following a national coordination meeting of Indonesia’s Border Management Agency at Bogor on Tuesday, November 18, 2025, Gabriel said Pegunungan Bintang Regent Spei Yan Bidana’s request for a cross-border post was directly related to the development of local economies.
People living within Pegunungan Bintang, as Gabriel also notes, continue to face troubles due to deficiency of transportation and freedom of movement. He believes these issues could be ameliorated with faster work on border infrastructure.
Gabriel points out that the people of Pegunungan Bintang continue to struggle because they have no means of easy transportation and mobility is very restricted. He believes faster progress on border infrastructure projects would alleviate some of those problems.
He also called on President Prabowo Subianto to ensure that the focus on cross-border initiatives covers regions in which there is greatest and most urgent need.
From Bogor, Okmin TV journalism team
