The Navy will place UK-made offshore patrol vessel KRI Usman Harun at its Eastern Region Fleet (Armatim) naval base in Surabaya, East Java.
“KRI Usman Harun’s operating areas will cover regions across Indonesia. The vessel will be placed in the Armatim naval base in Surabaya but it can also move to areas coordinated under the Navy’s Western Fleet (Armabar),” Navy deputy chief of staff Vice Admiral Hari Bowo told The Jakarta Post on Saturday.
He further said that Singapore’s objections over Indonesia’s decision to name its British-made corvette after two marines, Second Sgt.Usman bin Haji Muhammad Ali and Second Cpl.Harun bin Said, would not change the decision.
According to Hari, the decision to give one of its vessels the name “Usman Harun” was final and the Navy would not revise its decision despite Singapore’s protests.
“Many Navy facilities, such as marine housing complexes in several naval bases, have been given the name ‘Usman Harun’. The Singapore protests have become a topic of discussions among leaders,” said Hari.
KRI Usman Harun is scheduled to be transported from the UK in June.
Usman and Harun are two Indonesian national heroes. Usman bin Said alias Thohir bin Mandar and Harun bin Muhammad Ali were sentenced to death for carrying out a deadly bombing at MacDonald House, an office building in Orchard, Singapore, on March 10, 1965.
The Riau Islands administration has previously named several places that cross border with Singapore after ‘Usman Harun’ as a sign of respect to its national heroes. They include a soccer field in Sei Beduk district, a meeting hall in the Karimun regency, and a heroes cemetery in Kundur district.
“Singapore has not protested against the use of the name [‘Usman Harun’] for social facilities on the Riau Islands. Usman and Harun did good things for the province, we named many facilities ‘Usman Harun’,” said Riau Islands Governor Muhammad Sani.
http://www.thejakartapost.com/news/2014/02/09/kri-usman-harun-placed-eastern-region-naval-base.html
