Indonesia offers parking for planes

The National National

THE Indonesian government is offering their airports across the border in Papua Province to help with aircraft parking during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation meeting in November, Indonesian ambassador Ronald Manik says.
Manik said that Merauke Airport at the southern part of the border and Sentani Airport in the north would be available to help PNG host the Apec Leaders’ Summit.
“As you are all aware, Indonesia has supported PNG to be the host of the Apec 2018 and to that end Indonesia has provided some assistance in the forms of conducting capacity building programmes for the Royal PNG Constabulary, capacity training for protocol staff for the Foreign Affairs Department, assisting of aircraft parking at the airports nearest to PNG, namely Sentani and Merauke airports.
“We also noted that there will be cooperation on security along the border. “We look forward to the successful Apec Summit 2018 in Port Moresby,” Manik said during a reception at the Stanley Hotel in Port Moresby to celebrate the Indonesian 73rd independence anniversary on Thursday night.
Apec Authority chief executive Chris Hawkins said that PNG had been in discussions with Australia and Indonesia for aircraft parking space to help take the pressure of Jackson Airport in Port Moresby.
“We also have a number of domestic airport parking options. These are offered to our visiting economies for them to make arrangements with the airports of choice.”
Meanwhile, the Indonesian media has reported that a total of 450 Indonesian soldiers would be deployed along the PNG-Indonesian border during Apec.
Deputy assistant for operations at the Indonesian Military Headquarters, First Marshal M Khairul Lubis, told Antara News Agency that the soldiers based in Tri Wira Eka Jaya’s Infantry Battalion in Lampung, on Sumatra Island, would be deployed to Papua Province by Sept 26 to safeguard the Indonesia-PNG border.
“The personnel are ready for the deployment,” Lubis stated when observing the troops’ readiness in South Lampung on Tuesday.