REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, BIAK -- Several Indonesian warships have been deployed in the eastern Indonesian seas to secure the international maritime event Sail Raja Ampat and President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's visit to West Papua province on August 24-25, 2014.
"A number of Indonesian naval warships are routinely patrolling the eastern Indonesian waters," Commander of the Naval Eastern Fleet's Maritime Security Unit First Admiral Heru Kusmanto stated here on Monday.
He refused to divulge further information regarding the number of warships being deployed to safeguard the event.
Sail Raja Ampat is being organized in Raja Ampat District, West Papua Province, from August 17 to 23, 2014.
President Yudhoyono is scheduled to attend the main event of Sail Raja Ampat, which will be held in Waisai, on August 23. The highlight of the main event will be a parade of warships.
As part of the Sail Indonesia series, Sail Raja Ampat is the sixth event after Sail Bunaken in 2009, Sail Banda in 2010, Sail Wakatobi-Belitung in 2011, Sail Morotai in 2012, and Sail Komodo in 2013.
Raja Ampat is also often dubbed as "Heaven on Earth", "Miracle of Papua", "Underwater Paradise on Earth", or "Real Wonder of the World" for its enthralling marine panoramas.
Raja Ampat, which literally means "Four Kings", is derived from a local myth and has one of the most beautiful marine panoramas in the world. The archipelago comprises around 1.7 thousand islands and encompasses more than 9.8 million acres of land and sea off the northwestern tip of the West Papua Province. It has four major islands: Waigeo, Salawati, Batanta, and Misool, which are home to ancient rock paintings.
In 2012, Raja Ampat has been included in the Real Wonder of the World list. It has been recognized as one of the world's 10 most beautiful diving sites and rated number one for its rich diversity of marine flora and fauna.
It has 1,320 fish species; 75 percent of the world's coral species, 10 times the number of corals in Caribbean; five species of rare turtles; 57 species of mantis shrimps; 13 species of marine mammals; and 27 species of rare fish.
There are also 60 varieties of crayfish, 699 types of soft animals or species of mollusks, comprising 530 species of snails (Gastropoda), 159 species of shells (bivalva), two species of Scaphopoda, five species of squid (Cephalopoda), and three Chiton species.
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