In Kalimantan, bloggers share tales of life on the border

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For Agustina Ika Lestari, a teacher in rural Bengkayang, West Kalimantan, living on the border of Indonesia and Malaysia has given her insight into the local experiences: the good the bad and the frightening, Jakarta Post reported.

The 22-year-old has written stories about her life on the edge of two different communities in a blog, dalandobakati.blogspot.com.

Ika is one of nearly 100 bloggers who live in five regencies in West Kalimantan that border with Sarawak, East Malaysia.

She was invited to attend a launch of a book, titled Voices from the Border, in the provincial capital Pontianak. Ika was the only woman blogger at the event, initiated by the Border Blogger Movement (BBM).

BBM, which has provided training to bloggers to write as citizen journalists since last year, recently held a writing and photography contest. The winners were published in a book.

One of the stories published in the book was by Ika. It told of her experience when visiting Jagoi Babang district before crossing into Serikin, Sarawak.

As she arrived at a border post manned by Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel, she was taken across the line to a post secured by Malaysian military personnel.

“I did not have permission to cross the border,” Ika said. “I was scared when the Malaysian soldiers questioned me, and I was not allowed to enter their territory. I rode there on my motorcycle, but it was raining so I could not return
immediately.”

During the rain, a Malaysian man kept asking her questions that Ika was too afraid to understand, much less answer.

When the rain stopped, Ika and the soldiers who accompanied her to the border prepared to return. As she rode away, a Malaysian soldier called and approached her.

“I was trembling and asked him if there’s something wrong.” Ika smiled. “It turned out that the soldier asked me whether I had a Facebook account.”

Another blogger, Nobelius, 40, lives in Nanga Badau district in Kapuas Hulu regency, likes to post photos he takes with his cell phone, as well as short stories on the daily life of his village in his blog, nobeliusbaday.blogspot.com.

“It only takes less than 15 minutes to reach Lubok Antu in Sarawak from my village,” Nobelius said. “We have to admit that most of the necessities of residents in Badau are met by the neighboring country.”

Nobelius said that local ties trumped national ones, at least on the border. He neighbors on the other side of the line in Sarawak also hail from the Dayak Iban tribe. Every time there is a cultural event, such as a harvest feast, they gather as a family.

“Only the demarcation line separates us. Actually, we have common ancestors and our family ties have remained strong until now,” Nobelius said.

BBM manager Asriyadi Alexander Mering said that the program was aimed at training people to write firsthand accounts of life on the border.

“We train villagers to write in simple form and later publicize the report in the blog. It’s not an easy task, but at least somebody is doing it, amid the limitations. We will give awards out by publishing their works,” Mering said.

Every participating blogger has been listed on borderblogger.org, so stories from the heart of Kalimatan can be accessed from every corner of the globe.

Mering said that the 966-kilometerborder between West Kalimantan and Sarawak has remained uncared for up until now.

He said that the patriotism of those living on the border has been tested repeatedly. However, Mering said that those on the fron tline were equipped only with the nation’s red-and-white flag.

“Across the border, relatives in Malaysia, live well. They are provided with facilities, smooth roads and illuminated villages. On the other hand [Indonesians] only hear about prosperity in their own country as if it were a fairy tale,” Mering said.