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)