International Journal of Research in Social Sciences

The study aimed to identify factors that contributed to border dispute between communities or tribes from Indonesia and East Timor who lived at Manusasi border, Timor Tengah Utara district, Indonesia. One-to-one in-depth interviews were used to collect data from the study participants. They were recruited using snowball sampling technique. A qualitative data analysis framework was employed to guide the analysis of the collected data. The results indicated that perceptions of the people or communities living around the border about the land, and different interpretations of the borderline previously made, were significant supporting factors for the conflict among them. Stories and evidence on the land including graves of the ancestors, guilders, tray and trees with the stamps of kingdoms, were the historical factors used by the Indonesian tribes to defend the border, hence leading to prolonged dispute between them and other tribes from East Timor. Physical violence and political interests of parties involved in the border conflict were also reported as the factors that have escalated the tension of the parties in conflict. The findings of the current study indicate the needs for the development of new strategies that consider the supporting factors for the conflict and the notions of primary parties including the locals involved in the dispute, from both Indonesia and East Timor sides. The findings also call for active involvements of the governments of both countries to settle the prolonged dispute between tribes living at the Manusasi border.