Indian Navy calls at Surabaya

INDONESIA: The Indian Naval Ship Tir will be in Surabaya, East Java, on a visit from Friday through Sunday to improve relations between the two countries' navies.

The ship is on a two-month training cruise under the command of Col. Rajeev Girotra.

During their stay in Surabaya, Indian naval officers would hold talks with their Indonesian counterparts at the Navy Eastern Fleet Command headquarters and Surabaya Naval Base, the Indian Embassy in Jakarta said.

Indian Navy officers are also scheduled to visit the Indonesian Naval Academy.

The Tir, a 3,000-ton, 106-meter long training ship, will be open to members of the Indonesian Navy and schoolchildren.

From Surabaya, the Tir, which has visited Benoa, Bali and Cairns in Australia, will call at several other ports in the region before returning to its base in Kochin, India.

Indonesia and India signed a defense cooperation agreement in 2001 to combat maritime piracy, smuggling and transnational crime. The two fleets conduct joint patrols, exercises and regular naval exchanges. -- JP