JAKARTA-(IDB) : President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has canceled a
planned visit to the 2014 Multilateral Naval Exercise Komodo, which is to
be held in waters around Batam and the Riau Islands, starting on March 29.
Indonesian Navy Western Fleet Comand chief spokesman Lt.
Col. Agus Cahyono told The Jakarta Post on Thursday that Coordinating Political,
Legal and Security Minister Djoko Suyanto would attend in Yudhoyono’s absence.
“We do not know the reason, the President is the President,”
Agus said.
He added that despite the President’s presence, the
exercise would go ahead as planned and some of the participants had been
arriving in Batam.
The Chinese Navy’s landing platform dock, Changbai Shan,
with 420 personnel, has anchored in Batam waters as well as the Royal Brunei
Navy’s offshore patrol vessel KDB Darulehsan and the Philippine Navy’s corvette
BRP Ramon Alcaraz, with 120 personnel each.
The Indonesian Navy will deploy 18 warships in the
exercise.
“We will conduct a simulation where the Natuna and
Anambas Islands are stricken by natural disasters,” Agus said.
“Each navy will coordinate on the integrated handling of
the disasters.”
Agus said such an exercise was the first of its kind to take
lessons from the 2004 Aceh tsunami, when the intentions of many countries to
help did not consist of good coordination. He added that the exercise would be
held every two years.
“The exercise focuses on disasters only. We focus on how
to mitigate disasters in the context of navy-to-navy cooperation,” he said.
Some 28 warships with almost 4,500 personnel from 17
countries will take part in the exercise.
The participants are 10 ASEAN country members and their
partners, China, Japan, India, New
Zealand, Russia, South Korea and the US.
Source : JakartaPost
Wahh knp Mr President tdk hadir nihh, kan acara ini cukup strategis dr sudut hankam indonesia khususnya keutuhan wil di area hotspot natuna.
BalasHapus