Border study presentation

1. Slide 1
Demarcation of Portuguese and Dutch Dominions
on Timor
Compiled and presented by
Dr R.J.Williams
from information provided by
DSMGI Map Research Officer Mr R.Rees
November 1999
His Majesty The King of Portugal and of the Algarve, and His Majesty The King of the Netherlands,
having deemed it prudent to put an end to disputes regarding the boundaries of the Portuguese and
Dutch dominions on the Timor and Solor Archipelago, and wishing to prevent for all time any
misinformation that might bring about ill-defined boundaries … … agreed to enter into a Treaty of ...
Signed in Lisbon on 20 April 1859,
Ratifications having been exchanged
as at 13 August 1860

2. Slide 2
The survey of the border
CARTA DE PORTUGAL
PROVÍNCIA DE TIMOR
NOTE: Boundary stones are shown as black triangles
The centre island boundary of Timor was surveyed in
1915 by a joint Dutch-Portuguese commission.
The work of the commission began early in April 1915,
and it had completed its work by the 26th of that month.
In addition to the boundary posts ‘A’ and ‘B’, on both
banks of the mouth of the Motta Bikoe, and ‘C’ and ‘D’,
at the mouth of the Motta Massin, a further 29 boundary
posts were located. … …
The 29 posts were numbered ‘1’ to ‘29’ from north to
south, and the upper surfaces were provided with grooves
pointing in the direction of the following posts.
In addition, five astronomic stations were surveyed in for
accurate fixing of the boundary posts and stones.
Post 19 must be accessed through a narrow opening
in a thick cactus hedge in the middle of Fatoe Rokon

3. Slide 3
A border incident
Border incident
Bulletin: Mon, Oct 11 1999 9:20
Indonesian forces fired at Australian troops
with the Interfet multinational force in the
first officially-acknowledged exchange of
fire in a disputed area on the border between
East and West Timor ... near the border
town of Motaain. [The incident occurred on
Sunday Oct 10 1999]
Reporters on the scene say the TNI
[Indonesian military] were using an old
Dutch map, showing Motaain in West
Timor. The Australians were using an
Indonesian map, showing Motaain in East
Timor.
Bulletin: Tue, Oct 12 1999 7:28
Indonesian Foreign Minister Ali Alitas says
he wonders how this can happen, given the
sophisticated equipment the Interfet forces
carried.
Copy of part of Dutch map
[Possibly] the one used by TNI

4. Slide 4
Location of examples
1
3
2
TYPES OF AMBIGUITY AND ERROR
Differences in demarcation of the border
as described in the Treaty between
Portugal and the Netherlands, and the border
between the Indonesian provinces of
Propinsi Timor Timur and Propinsi Nusa
Tengarra Timur are due to:
1 Probable administrative convenience
2 Ambiguity in interpretation of landform
3 Physical change in landform
LEGEND for following slides
Main map and boundary marked compiled by
BAKOSURTANAL [INDONESIA] in 1992 from 1982 photography
Inset map and boundary marked compiled by
CENTRO de GEOGRAFIA do ULTRAMAR [PORTUGAL]
by photogrammetric techniques in 1962

5. Slide 5
Probable administrative convenience
Part of Indonesian map
2407-122/121 BATUGADE
Part of Portuguese map
No.18 BATUGADE
A
A
B
B
Batugade
Motaain
TREATY OF DEMARCATION
1. Starting from the mouth of the Mota Biku1
(Silaba) via the thalweg of this river up to
its tributary, the We Bedain, as far ...
Probable location of
the border incident
Notes
1 The Indonesian map names the river the
Mota Bico and shows it flowing to the coast
between the two villages near the place name
Motaain. The Portuguese map shows the
river along the alignment of the red line
MotaBico

6. Slide 6
Ambiguity in interpretation of landforms
A
A
B
B
Part of Indonesian map
2406-532 FATULULIK
Zol Sele
Part of Portuguese map
No.29 MALIANA
TREATY OF DEMARCATION
3. … … via the thalweg of the Mautilu1 and Pepies2,
as far as the Bulu Hulu3 (Bulu Bulu) Mountain;
4. From that point, up the Karawa Kotun4; from the
Karawa Kotun via the thalweg of the River Marecs5
(Lolu), as far as the River Tafara … ...
Notes
1 Mautilu is shown as Rib Selazol on Portuguese map
and Zol Sele on Indonesian map
2 Pepies is shown as Pepis on Portuguese map and
not named on Indonesian map
3 Bulu Hula is not named on Indonesian map
4 Karawa Kotun is not named on Portuguese nor
Indonesian maps
5 Marecs is named Mares on Portuguese map and
not named on Indonesian map

7. Slide 7
Physical change to landform
Part of Portuguese map
No.28 MALAUNE
Part of Indonesian map
2406-444 ATAMBUA
TREATY OF DEMARCATION
3. Following the thalweg of the Telau as far as ...
Mota Talau

8. Slide 8
Physical change to landform
A historical perspective
Background - Recent imagery
- Compiled by BAKOSURTANAL [INDONESIA]
in 1992 from 1982 photography
- Compiled by CENTRO de GEOGRAFIA do
ULTRAMAR [PORTUGAL] by photogrammetric
techniques in 1962