Page 156 - Demo

1st Int. Transborder Conf. of the Timor Island: Timor %u2013 Science without borderDili, 7-8 May 2025155Social Dynamics and International Legal Issues on the Indonesia%u2013Timor-Leste BorderDhesy A. Kase*and Maria W.I.W. RakaDepartment of International Law, Faculty of Law, Universitas Nusa Cendana, Jl. Adisucipto, Kupang, NTT 85001 Indonesia*Corresponding author: dhesykase0324@gmail.comAbstractThis article explores the social dynamics and international legal challenges in the border region between Indonesia and Timor-Leste, with a particular focus on the Timorese communities that have historically and culturally formed a unified entity. Employing an interdisciplinary approach that integrates border studies and international law, the article argues that modern state boundaries often disregard local social realities and, in some cases, infringe upon the cultural rights of indigenous populations. It emphasizes the need for legal recognition of culturally rooted cross-border practices and proposes the creation of cross-border cultural zones, along with bilateral agreements that reflect local sensitivities. The article concludes that the Indonesia%u2013Timor-Leste border represents not only a geopolitical concern but also an issue of social justice for indigenous communities divided by state demarcations. A more humane, context-sensitive, and community-based legal framework is urgently required%u2014one in which the law serves not as a tool of division, but as a bridge of justice for the Timorese people.Keywords: Timor, international law, indigenous communities, cross-border, border studies