Jakarta, March 8 (Antara) - Thousands of foreign and domestic enthusiasts were all set on Tuesday to watch the rare natural phenomenon of total solar eclipse (TSE) that will take place over 12 provinces across Indonesia on Wednesday.
The 12 Indonesian provinces are Bengkulu, West Sumatra, South Sumatra, Jambi, Bangka Belitung, West Kalimantan, Central Kalimantan, South Kalimantan, East Kalimantan, West Sulawesi, Central Sulawesi and North Maluku.
Big cities which fall within the footprint of the total solar eclipse in Indonesia are Muko-Muko (Bengkulu), Palembang (South Sumatra), Tanjung Pandan, Palangkaraya (Central Kalimantan), Balikpapan (East Kalimtan), Palu (Central Sulawesi) and Ternate (North Maluku).
The Indonesian government will organize the main event to watch the TSE in Bangka Belitung Province, as most of its waters lie in the path of the eclipse. It sent a solar eclipse expedition team to Bangka Belitung to immortalize the rare event.
Coordinating Minister for Maritime and Resource Affairs Rizal Ramli saw off a 2016 Total Solar Eclipse Expedition Team in Jakarta on Tuesday.
The team will sail to the waters of Bangka Belitung, one of the provinces falling directly in the path of the total solar eclipse in Indonesia on Wednesday.
"We have to begin our love for the maritime waters with a simple thing," said Rizal when bidding farewell to the participants of the expedition team.
The participants will sail from March 8 to 10 leaving for the Bangka Belitung waters aboard 'KM Kelud' ship belonging to the state-owned shipping line, Pelni.
The participants included people from various backgrounds, such as students, journalists, researchers and a number of invitees.
House Speaker Ade Komaruddin and his entourage, meanwhile, will witness the Total Solar Eclipse (TSE) on Wednesday at Bengkulu's Fort Malborough, Bengkulu provincial government spokesman Ferry Ernez Parera stated in a press release received in Jakarta on Tuesday.
"The House speaker has confirmed that he will arrive in Bengkulu on Tuesday evening to witness the TSE the next morning," Parera revealed.
According to the spokesman, Bengkulu Governor Ridwan Mukti and Vice Governor Rohidin Mersyah, along with some three thousand tourists, will congregate at Fort Malborough to witness the rare and interesting natural phenomenon.
Governor Mukti has invited the citizens of Bengkulu to observe the TSE at Fort Malborough, an English fort located in Bengkulu city.
"People can watch the TSE at the fort where the local government will hold a public event to observe the phenomenon," Mukti noted in Bengkulu recently.
He added that people can also see the eclipse from a number of other points in Bengkulu region, including in Mukomuko.
"We will help local citizens who want to watch the eclipse from the fort complex," the governor stated.
The event is expected to promote Fort Marlborough, which was built between 1713 and 1719 by the East India Company, under the leadership of Governor Joseph Collett.
In South Sumatra Province, arrangements to watch the TSE have been made on the Ampera Bridge which stretches over the Musi River, the longest river in Sumatra.
Tourism Minister Arief Yahya asked the Jakarta residents who want to watch the TES to fly with their children to Palembang, the provincial capital of South Sumatra province, where the Ampera Bridge will serve as the center of the TSE festival.
"It is a pity to let the rare phenomenon -- which happens only once in 350 years in the same place -- pass without being watched. So, please reach there to and witness it. After all, numerous events are being organized to enliven the event," noted Minister Arief Yahya.
According to Irene Camelyn Sinaga, the acting head of the local Tourism and Culture Service of South Sumatra, the Ampera Bridge will become the main gathering place for the residents in Palembang, South Sumatra, to observe the TSE.
"We will organize various interesting events. Besides, we will also organize an eclipse education session for domestic and foreign tourists, currently visiting Palembang," remarked Irene Camelyn Sinaga in a press statement received in Jakarta on Tuesday.
The local government officials will install five telescopes and a mini planetarium ready to be used during the TSE event. The organizers will also hold a culinary festival showcasing various foods. A selfie contest with the TSE in the background will also be held.
In Palu, Central Sulawesi, eclipse trackers, both domestic and foreign, flocked to Ngatabaru Village, Sigi Biromanur in Sigi District to observe the solar eclipse.
"About three thousand eclipse tracking people have reached there," Assistant on Economic Affairs to the Secretary of the Regional Government of Central Sulawesi, Bunga Elim Somba, said in Palu on Tuesday.
Bunga said other places being thronged by the enthusiasts were the villages of North Pakuli, Palu city, and Klora. The TSE will occur in Palu again after 300 years.
Siti Norma Mardjanu, the head of Central Sulawesi Tourism and Creative Economy Service, said, meanwhile, that hundreds of foreign tourists have arrived in Palu.
"We have received a report that hundreds of foreign tourists have arrived in Palu. They have reached various locations and many have set up camps on hilly areas," noted Siti Norma Mardjanu.
She said her office took the TSE as an opportunity to promote Central Sulawesi's tourism.
Therefore, her office will also organize cultural and arts performances such as dances. It will also organize culinary and special handicraft festivals.
"We will surely make use of this event to the maximum extent. Palu city has become a place for eclipse tracking enthusiasts to watch the event besides Ternate in North Maluku," she added.***4*** (T.A014/INE)EDITED BY INE/H-YH(T.A014/A/BESSR/A/Yosep) 08-03-2016 20:20:2 |
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