'HMAS Perth' due here

JAKARTA (JP): The Royal Australian Navy guided missile destroyer, HMAS Perth, will make a goodwill and rest-and- recreation visit here from tomorrow until Wednesday.

HMAS Perth, which carries a crew of over 300 and recently participated in Exercise Kangaroo '95 off Darwin, is a highly capable warship of some 4,500 tons displacement, the Australian Embassy said in a statement yesterday.

The ship has modern combat data, sonar, radar, communications and other defensive weapons systems, including the Phalanx Close- In-Weapons-System.

For many of the ship's company, this will be their first visit to Jakarta and Indonesia. The visit opens yet another opportunity to further strengthen the close bonds between the Navies and Armed Forces of Indonesia and Australia, the statement said. (hhr)