News Focus: SAIL BANDA EXPECTED TO BE BETTER THAN BUNAKEN EVENT By Otniel Tamindael

Jakarta, March 6 (ANTARA) - The upcoming international marine event of Sail Banda 2010 in Maluku is expected to be better than Sail Bunaken, a similar event held in North Sulawesi last year.

"Sail Bunaken 2009 in North Sulawesi was a warming up for the Maluku district administration to make the upcoming Sail Banda 2010 an even better and successful event," Sail Banda central committee first secretary Aji Soelarso said in Abon recently.
Therefore, better preparations were being made in Ambon, Banda, and the Southwest Maluku (MBD) district town of Wonreli in Kisar island to host the international marine event.

Soelarso expressed hope that no protest rally against Sail Banda would happen anywhere in Maluku because the international event was intended to promote the potentials of Maluku in general and those of its small outlying islands in particular.

Aji Soelarso expressed optimism that the international marine event of Sail Banda 2010 from July to August in Maluku would be a great success.

The Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry's director general for marine and fisheries supervision said the Maluku provincial administration was enthusiastic and had a high spirit to make Sail Banda 2010 a success.

"In my eyes, the governor, the local people, and the students across Maluku province have such a high spirit to make the international marine event a success," Aji Soelarso said.

He said the preparations made by the provincial administration to greet Sail Banda guests and participants had been 90 percent ready.

The preparations include the provision of fresh water facilities for Sail Banda participants and guests in Banda and Kisar, and the expansion of Purpura airport in Wonreli, Kisar, from 800 meters to 1300 meters.

While for electricity problem which has been complained so far by the local people, Soelarso said he guaranteed it would be overcome in the run-up the the event.

"What we hope is that the people will not stage any protest rally. If they have suggestion and criticism, they can express it in a proper manner to develop our common progress," he noted.

According to him, Sail Banda 2010 was designed in such away to make Maluku eastern Indonesian gateway for tourism and the province's potentials for the local people's welfare.

"All people of Maluku should give their contribution for our common good to make the event a success it is not designed to make Maluku turn poor," Soelarso said.

He added that Maluku provincial administration had allocated Rp12 billion from regional budget (APBD) to fund the event, because the central government did not fund it in cash but in the form of infrastructure program.

Meanwhile, the Transportation Ministry will support the upcoming Sail Banda 2010 with 10 buses, Maluku Transportation Office chief Benny Gaspersz said in Ambon.

"I have just arrived from Jakarta to manage the procurement of ten buses to support the upcoming international marine event scheduled for July to August this year," Gaspersz said on Saturday.

Gaspersz admitted that the buses with a capacity of 28 seats each were needed for transportation in Ambon during the international marine event.

He said the transportation ministry in 2008 provided Maluku province with a number of buses but they had been distributed to several districts and municipalities in the province.

"Therefore we proposed 25 buses but Transportation Minister Freddy Numbery decided to province Maluku with only ten buses to support Sail Banda," Gaspersz said.

Maluku's transportation office had also asked the government to increase the capacity of the passenger terminal in Banda in Central Maluku district, and to repair the access road to the Yos Sudarso port in Ambon.

"We hope the increase of the passengers terminal capacity in Banda and repairs of the access road to Yos Sudarso port in Ambon will be realized soon because Sail Banda is three months away from now," Gaspers said.

Asked about once-a-week flights from Ambon to Banda by Merpati airplanes, Gaspersz said coordination has been made with PT Merpati Nusantara Airlines to increase the frequency to at least twice a week.

"We have also asked Merpati to operate new aircraft to serve Jakarta-Ambon flights," Gaspersz said, quoting Governor Karel Albert Ralahalu as saying that Garuda was scheduled to conduct Jakarta-Ambon flights starting June this year.

He said Garuda had since 2009 actually asked for flights to Pattimura International Airport in Ambon, and thus it was expected to be realized soon before the Sail Banda event from July to August this year.