RI, PNG TO DISCUSS COMMON BORDER SECURITY

Jakarta, May 11 (ANTARA) - Indonesian and Papua New Guinea (PNG) delegations will hold a meeting to discuss the security and socio-cultural situation in the two countries' border areas.

The meeting was to be held following the reopening of the two countries' border on May 8, a source in PNG told ANTARA on Monday.

"However, we still don't know the exact date of the planned meeting," he said.

Meanwhile, Rear Marshal Sagom Tamboen, a spokesman of the Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI) Headquarters said that officials of Indonesia and PNG would soon meet to discuss border security issues.

The situation in the Indonesian and PNG border was getting conducive after it was reopened on May 5, 2009, he said.

The border was temporarily reopened from 9 am to 4 pm local time, he said.

The measure was taken to protect the security situation around the border area, he said.

The RI-PNG border had been closed since April 9, following the finding of a bomb on Muara Tami Bridge, Jayapura.

In normal conditions, an Indonesian citizen could visit PNG for 24 hours just by showing his or her identity card.