Indonesian Navy Warship In Timor Leste for Health Service Mission

Surabaya, East Java (Antara Bali) - Indonesian navy warship KRI Dr. Soekarso (KRI SHS) - 990 has arrived in Dili, Timor Leste, for a health service mission.

The warship arrived in Dili on Friday, Indonesia's Eastern Fleet Command spokesman Lt. Col. Maman Sulaeman, said in a press statement to Antara here Saturday.

"This health mission is the first carried out by KRI SHS-990 abroad in cooperation with the ministry of defense," he said.

The mission involves medical personnel from the army, the navy and the air force.

The Landing Platform Deck type ship functions as a hospital support ship under the command of the Support Ship Unit of the Eastern Fleet Command led by Lt. Col. Azhari Alamsyah.

"The arrival of the ship was greeted with the welcome dance, Checuvo from the Los Palos district of Timor Leste," he said.

"This activity is a realization of the good relationship between the Indonesian and Republic Democratic of Timor Leste governments which was initiated several years ago by the sixth Indonesian President Dr. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono," Timor Leste's Minister of Defense Dr. Serilio said at the welcoming ceremony.

This social service was a concrete form of defense cooperation between Indonesia and Timor Leste, in the form of a health service to the community of Timor Leste, Director General of the Defense Forces of the Ministry of Defense, Rear Admiral Agus Purwoto, said.

After the ceremony, the RDTL Minister of Defense and wife Isabel toured the ship along with RDTL officials to see the facilities to be used in the mission until February 1.

For the mission, KRI SHS prepares five operation rooms, six polyclinics, 51 specialists ready to serve more than 2,000 patients, as well as a helicopter ready to carry out evacuation.

The ceremony was also attended by the wife of Indonesian defense minister, Nora Ryamizard Ryacudu, head of the Dr. Ramelan Navy Hospital, Commodore I Dewa Gede Nalendra and other navy officials. (WDY)