Sail Banda looks to promote Maluku's tourism and peace

After the Sail Bunaken last year, the Sail Banda sea festival will be held in Maluku from July to August this year, in the hope of promoting maritime tourism as well as to send a positive message about the province's state of recovery from a previous deadly communal conflict.

"This event is expected to provide leverage for the development of Maluku. We want to show the world that Maluku is peaceful and safe," State Minister for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Fadel Muhammad said during the launching of Sail Banda 2010 at the World Peace Gong monument.

The Sail Bunaken event, which took place in Manado waters, North Sulawesi, from Aug. 12 to 20 last year, showcased 26 warships from 14 countries, including the world's largest warship the USS George Washington super carrier with around 5,000 crew members on board. The fleet parade was hailed to be bigger that the same event in Busan 2008 which featured 11 warships.

The event was highlighted with a new world record in scuba diving, with more than 2,400 participants diving simultaneously, far higher than the 958 divers in the Maldives 2006, at Malalayang.

Fadel said the name of Sail Banda had been chosen over proposed Sail Maluku or Sail Ambon because the name of Banda was already known to the world since the 16th century.

"If we used Maluku, we might struggle in our promotion efforts while most people are familiar with Banda and are most likely to be interested to come," he said.

Banda refers to a group of 10 volcanic islands. The islands were discovered and claimed by the Portuguese in 1512 before the Dutch came to oust the Portuguese in the early 1600s and assumed control in 1619.

The islands are popular destinations for scuba diving and snorkeling.

Maluku Governor K.A. Ralahalu said Sail Banda would generate good momentum for the province to tap potential resources for the benefit of the people.

"Through this international event, various issues will be raised over Maluku which holds abundant maritime resources and has tourism potential. The environment will also be one of the issues.

"Sail Banda is part of the realization of Maluku's development concept as an island province and has been initiated by another six islands provinces in Indonesia," he said.

During the Sail Banda, according to Ralahalu, various supporting events  will be held including competitions, exhibition and an international conference.

"The events will talk about efforts on how to save small islands which are threatened by global warming, and to conserve the islands' ecosystems for the welfare of their inhabitants."

The communal conflict in Maluku, which took place from 2002 to 2004, claimed 9,753 lives.

M. Azis Tunny, The Jakarta Post, Ambon