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.