Kapuas Hulu, West Kalimantan. Three Indonesian border guards have returned to their base after a temporary detention by the Malaysian Police for alleged border trespassing, the Army said on Saturday.

The three soldiers, stationed at the border post in Kapuas Hulu regency, West Kalimantan, were reportedly arrested by a Malaysian border police patrol on January 28 for crossing into Malaysia's Sarawak. The soldiers ventured across the border to Sarawak for grocery shopping, a trip that led to their arrest after a local civilian, who had given them a ride, fled during a police stop.

Brig. Gen. Luqman Arief, Commander of the 121st Alambhana Wanawai Military District Command in West Kalimantan, clarified that the soldiers had entered Malaysia with the intent of purchasing cooking gas from a local shop just three kilometers away from the border. He said the nearest Indonesian grocery shop was already closed and situated at a distance from the post.

"The three soldiers of the Indonesia-Malaysia border post have returned to their base and resumed duties," said Luqman, dismissing rumors that the soldiers -- First Lieutenant Satria Fajar, First Sergeant Erwin, and Sergeant Muhammad Fitrah -- were involved in smuggling activities.

Luqman cited the positive contributions of the soldiers, mentioning their recent success in thwarting a large-scale drug smuggling attempt into Indonesia, although he did not provide specific details.

During their entry into Malaysian territory, the soldiers were transported by the Malaysian shop owner in a civilian vehicle. They were stopped by a Malaysian police patrol while driving from the shop, and the soldiers cooperatively followed police procedures and were taken for interrogations.

Maj. Gen. Iwan Setiawan, commander of the Tanjungpura Regional Military Command overseeing Kalimantan, reassured that there was nothing suspicious found in the vehicle, which carried eight gas cylinders from the shop. He noted that the soldiers' detention resulted from a miscommunication during the incident.

Add as a preferred source on Google +