Navy discovers 24 sea mines

Navy discovers 24 sea mines

SURABAYA, East Java: The Navy has discovered 24 sea mines
buried in deep mud in the waters of Ujung Pangkah subdistrict in
Gresik, west of here.

"These mines were placed by Japanese troops and the Allied
Forces (during World War II)," spokesman for the Navy's Eastern
Fleet Command, Lt. Col. Eddy Irawan, said as quoted by Antara.

Minesweeping operations were carried out in the area over a
two week period by the minesweeper KRI Pulau Rupat.

Irawan said the Navy would not detonate the mines in the water
because it could damage fiber optic cables installed between
Jakarta and Surabaya in 1995 by telecommunications company PT
Indosat.

"We will dig out the mines and detonate them offshore, far
from the submerged cables," he said, noting that the operation
was being supervised by a Japanese telecommunications company.