Jakarta - The successes Indonesia scored by organizing its Sail Bunaken 2009 and Sail Banda 2010 have inspired President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to stage another such event, namely "Sail Morotai" in North Maluku in the near future.
Speaking at a ceremony in Ternate, North Maluku, marking the relocation of the province`s capital from Ternate to Sofifi on Halmahera Island on Wednesday, President Yudhoyono expressed hope that North Maluku province could host a Sail Morotai to promote its marine tourism.
"We have just organized Sail Banda, and in reality it attracted so many participants from many countries and moved the economy in Maluku. Therefore, I hope we can organize a Sail Morotai in North Maluku," the President said.
The head of state on the occasion also threw his weigh behind the North Maluku provincial administration`s wish to turn Morotai Island into a special economic zone.
Therefore, the president asked the relevant parties to draw up a master plan for the development of the island into a new economic center.
The head of state said he would visit Morotai Island in the near future to obtain first-hand information about its potentials.
As an outlying island serving as a gateway into Indonesia through the Pacific Ocean, being close to East Asia, and situated in a main sea lane to Australia and New Zealand, Morotai could be part of the economic movement in the Asia Pacific region.
"We should think strategically. Let`s do something in North Maluku, Morotai in particular, so it will be part of the economic movement in the Asia Pacific region," he said.
The President said he had received a master plan from Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Fadel Muhammad to develop the island into a fishery, tourist, trade and services center.
In light of this, President Yudhoyono expressed hope that North Maluku province would host a Sail Morotai within the next two years.
But the exact date for Sail Morotai had yet to be decided and it would probably not be organized either next year or in 2012 because the head of Central Sulawesi cultural and tourism office Suaib Djafar has said in the provincial city of Palu that the office would organized Sail Togean 2011 as a follow up to Sail Banda 2010.
Djafar said the Central Sulawesi provincial administration would learn from the experiences of North Sulawesi in organizing "Sail Bunaken 2009" and Maluku with its "Sail Banda 2010."
The Togean island chain is an ecological wonder located in Tojo Una-Una district, Central Sulawesi, about a 10-hour journey from Palu, the province`s capital.
It is an archipelago of 56 pristine coral and volcanic islands and islets located in the Gulf of Tomini in Central Sulawesi, with surrounding coral reefs supporting a rich, diverse marine life and life over the surface.
Actually, the Togeans are the only place in Indonesia where one can find all major reef types in the same place; atolls, barrier and fringing reefs.
After Sail Togean 2011, it will be West Nusa Tenggara`s turn to organize Sail Lombok-Sumbawa 2012.
Therefore, West Nusa Tenggara Governor Zainul Madji said he would continue to make things ready for the implementation of Sail Lombok-Sumbawa 2012.
Hence, "Sail Morotai", as expected by President Yudhoyono will probably be organized in 2013 as part of Sail Indonesia.
Morotai is one of Indonesia`s northernmost islands in North Maluku province, facing the Pacific Ocean.
During the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, Morotai was generally within the sphere of influence of the powerful sultanate of Ternate.
It was the core of a larger region, called Moro, that included the island and the coastline of Halmahera which lies just south of Morotai.
In the mid-sixteenth century, the island was also the site of a Portuguese Jesuit mission.
Most of the island`s interior is rugged and covered in thick jungle.
The Doroeba Plain in Morotai`s south-west corner is the largest of the island`s few lowland areas.
Prior to the outbreak of World War II, Morotai had a population of 9,000 and not been commercially developed.
It formed part of the Netherlands East Indies and was ruled by the Dutch through the Sultanate of Ternate.
The Japanese occupied Morotai in 1942 during their Netherlands East Indies campaign but did not set up a garrison on the island nor did they develop it.
In early 1944 Morotai emerged as an area of importance to the Japanese military when it started developing the neighboring larger island of Halmahera as a focal point for the defense of the southern approaches to the Philippines.
In May 1944, the Imperial Japanese Army`s 32nd Division arrived in Halmahera to defend the island and its nine airstrips.
The division suffered heavy losses when the convoy carrying it from China (the Take Ichi convoy) was attacked by US submarines.
Two battalions from the 32nd Division`s 211th Infantry Regiment were initially deployed to Morotai to develop an airstrip on the Doroeba Plain.
Both battalions were withdrawn to Halmahera in mid-July, however, when the airstrip was abandoned due to drainage problems.
Allied code breakers detected the Japanese buildup at Halmahera and Morotai`s weak defenses, and passed this information on to the relevant planning staff.
In July 1944, General Douglas MacArthur, the commander of the South West Pacific Area, selected Morotai as the location for air bases and naval facilities needed to support the liberation of Mindanao, which at the time was planned for November 15.
While Morotai was undeveloped, it was preferred over Halmahera as the larger and significantly better-defended island was judged too difficult to capture and secure.
The occupation of Morotai was designated Operation Tradewind. The landing was scheduled to take place on September 15, 1944, the same day as the 1st Marine Division`s landing at Peleliu.
This schedule allowed the main body of the United States Pacific Fleet to simultaneously protect both operations from potential Japanese counter-attacks. (*)
Source: http://www.antaranews.com
