Indonesia, Singapore Navies launch joint civic work mission

Indonesia, Singapore Navies launch joint civic work mission

PALEMBANG, South Sumatra (JP): The Navy will continue to place
a strong emphasis in its civic work missions to help alleviate
poverty in the country's least developed areas.

"The Navy sees the Baskara Jaya civic work mission as a must.
Now the social mission becomes urgent due to the economic crisis
that has plagued the country in the last 11 months," Navy Chief
Adm. Arief Kushariadi said in the launching ceremony of a joint
Indonesian and Sigaporean navy civic work mission on Bangka and
Belitung islands, at Palembang Naval Base here yesterday.

Also attending the ceremony were Singapore Navy Chief Vice
Adm. Richard Lim and South Sumatra Governor Ramli Hasan Basri.

The ceremony ended with a parachute jump show involving 40
marines.

Arief stressed that the motive behind the civic work mission
was concern over the livelihoods of the millions of people living
below the poverty line.

"The civic work mission is aimed not only at helping develop
the least developed villages but also at strengthening economic
and defense resilience in remote areas," he said.

The Singapore navy deployed a warship and almost 200
personnel, including medical workers, to participate in the civic
mission.

Arief said personnel from both countries would carry out
development projects, such as road and irrigation construction
and school and mosque renovations, while their medical teams
would provide free medical services to the needy.

Lim said the Singapore navy would continue to cooperate with
the Indonesian Navy in civic work missions and joint military
exercises in the future in order to enhance bilateral
cooperation.

"We have carried out joint military exercises for 20 years.
This year, the two navies will conduct a joint patrol operation
in the Strait of Malacca," he said after the ceremony.

He said this was the second time the Singapore navy would
participate in a civic work mission.

He added that the Singapore navy contributed rice, textiles
and food worth Rp 300 million to the mission.

Three warships -- Indonesia's KRI Teluk Banten and KRI Teluk
Peleng and Singapore's RSS Excellence -- with almost 800 soldiers
and medical workers from both navies have been deployed to carry
out the month-long operation. (rms)