20 Foreign Warships Invited to Join Sail Tomini's Sailing Pass

Palu, C Sulawesi, June 12 (Antara)- Some 20 foreign warships have been invited to join a sailing pass organized to highlight the international maritime event of Sail Tomini 2015 at Pangi Beach, Parigi Moutong, Central Sulawesi, on September 2015. "We have invited 20 countries to send their warships. Eight of them have given a positive response, and six have sent their confirmation to participate in the event," Commander of the Eastern Indonesian Naval Fleet Battle Group Rear Admiral Dewanto stated here on Friday. Singapore and Malaysia might send two warships, he noted in a meeting of the Sail Tomini organizing committee. The Indonesian Navy will deploy 27 warships for the event, including for providing security to President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), some ministers, and foreign ambassadors expected to attend the event. The Navy hopes that the sailing pass will have the participation of 27 Indonesian warships, 20 foreign warships, 20 ships from domestic institutions, and fishing ships having a length of at least 10 meters. Activities during the sailing pass will include a parachuting display that will involve military personnel from the Indonesian Air Force, Army, and Navy. The Indonesian Navy will also deploy a hospital warship KRI Doctor Soeharso to offer free medical services covering a route of 7,880 kilometers in six regions in Sulawesi. To be called "Operation Surya Bhaskara Jaya", KRI Doctor Soeharso is expected to serve some 10 thousand patients living in coastal areas and remote isles along the route. The hospital ship will leave Jakarta on August 28, 2015, for Sulawesi Islands that will include Tolitoli, Marore (North Sulawesi), Gorontalo, Parigi, Togean Islands, Banggai, and Makassar in South Sulawesi. The international maritime event of Sail Tomini and Boalemo Festival 2015 were jointly launched by nine ministers, two governors, and two district heads at the Epicentrum Hotel, Jakarta, on May 5, 2015. The annual event is themed "The Pearl of Equator for Future Life," and its logo depicts a Phinisi traditional sailing boat of Sulawesi. The logo and theme are in accordance with the vision of President Jokowi in developing Indonesia, the world's largest archipelagic nation, as a global maritime axis.