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AKARTA: Marine Corps Commander Maj. Gen. Buyung Lalana has announced that the marines will support President Joko '€œJokowi'€ Widodo'€™s maritime axis plan through the implementation of four specific programs.

According to Buyung, the four programs are: Save Our Littoral Life, a program to revitalize coral reef ecosystems across the archipelago, Marine Corps training on Damar Island in the Thousand Islands, trial use of flame retardant munitions by PT-76 Amphibious Tanks to help fight forest and landfires; and a symbolic expedition to the top of the Cartenzs Pyramid in Puncak Jaya, Papua.

'€œIn the '€˜Save Our Littoral Life'€™ program, the Marine Corps will plant 28,000 substrates of coral reef in 235 locations across the country, determined by GPS and placed under the care of the local marines,'€ he said in a press release on Thursday.

To officiate the program, Buyung continued, the Marines would be hosting a simultaneous reef-planting activity in several locations, including Sabang in Aceh, Manado in North Sulawesi and Ambon, Maluku, to coincide with the 70th commemoration of Indonesia'€™s Independence Day this August.

Furthermore, the corps plans to send a marine trooper to pitch the Indonesian flag at the top of the 4,884-meter high Carstensz Pyramid to also coincide with the Aug. 17 celebrations.

Apart from that, Buyung said that his forces would conduct a trial of chemical flame retardants for use with the PT-76 units'€™ cannons, in order to anticipate the spread of forest fires in the country.