The National senior reporter CLIFFORD FAIPARIK visited Wereave and Sota nestled along the Southern Papua New Guinea (PNG)-Indonesia border on Oct 18 and 19 and found shocking comparative living conditions on both sides of the border. And, it did not look good for Papua New Guineans in Wereave.

But the Indonesians in Sota, only about a kilometre away from the border, look carefree as they progress with services and development delivered by their Government – and, at the same time, are actively participating in economic activities. It is an international embarrassment where on the Indonesian side there is massive infrastructure and economic development but PNG villagers live in poverty deprived of Government services.

On the Indonesian side, there is the Sota town with excellent Government services like health and education, paved roads, electricity and water supplies and other infrastructure that help stimulate and supplement economic activities.

Whereas in PNG (Wereave), there is none of those but bush and dirt road with villagers staring at a blank future. They worry about their children’s education and health as there are no school and health centres.

On the Indonesian side, there are lights from electricity but in PNG, villagers are only using kerosene lamps, battery operated torches and fire wood. In Wereave, villagers fetch water from water holes that go dry during hot seasons but in Sota, there is running water from tanks all year round.

When PNG villagers travel to Sota town to buy store goods like rice or access health services, they travel by vehicles on paved roads.

But when returning to their home border, they have to get out of their vehicles, lug their goods and walk across to the PNG side because there is just a dirt road and no vehicles to travel another 13km to the nearest PNG government station in South Fly’s Weam.

There is also no bridge at Wereave River, PNG’s last riverine at the international border.

On the Indonesian side, there is a trans-border highway (about 200km) that links to Merauke city, Sota and then up to Bupul town which is about 21km opposite PNG’s Boset in North Fly. This highway also links to other Indonesian towns that have water and electricity supplies, and other Government services.

On the PNG side of the border, there are no roads along the Border to link South, Middle and North Fly, with villagers still living in remoteness without any access to Government services.