PRESIDENT SBY LANDS IN LAMPUNG BY AMPHIBIOUS VEHICLE

Pesawaran Lampung, Feb 7 (ANTARA) - President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono landed at Caligi beach in Padang Cermin subdistrict, Pesawaran district, Lampung province on an amphibious combat vehicle of the LVT-7 series to observe the Marine Corps exercise.

The president used the amphibious combat vehicle which was carried by the warship (KRI) Surabaya-591 that anchored around two km from the beach.

President Yudhoyono and his entourage on board KRI Surabaya-591 left Merak seaport in Banten province on Saturday night for Lampung.

The amphibious combat vehicle with code number 1 which brought the president was on the fourth order of the Marines vehicle landing process in attacking a simulated enemy force at Caligi Beach.

A number of presidential palace personnel and journalists as part of the president's entourage had earlier landed at the beach before the amphibious combat vehicle left the warship that brought the president to the beach.

The President on the occasion witnessed the first demonstration of combat shooting by using three tankfib PT-76s, the shootings by two BVP-2s, by two Howitser 105s and by two RM 70 Grad rockets.

Caligi was used as a Combat Training Center for
Marine Corps frogmen command forces.

In addition, the president also observed a second demonstration of combat shootings in trees, reaction shootings, mortar 81 firing, including the river crossing.

After observing the shooting demonstration, the President headed to the Beruang Hitam (black bear) Headquarters of the 9th Marine Infantry battalion and visited an exhibition of Marine Bio-products and tree planting. Yudhoyono was also scheduled to visit the Klara beach.

During the visit the president was accompanied by several cabinet ministers, and Defense Forces (TNI) chief Gen. Djoko Santoso.