Taiwan extends hand to turn Indonesian island into tourism hub

Once upon a time, Morotai was part of the Ternate Sultanate, which was a vassal of the Dutch East India Company by the end of the 17th century. Morotai Island is an island in the

Halmahera group of eastern Indonesia’s Maluku Islands (Moluccas). It is one of Indonesia’s northernmost islands.

Morotai is a rugged, forested island lying to the north of Halmahera. It has an area of some 1,800 square kilometers (690 sq mi), stretching 80 kilometers (50 mi) north-south and no more than 42 kilometers (26 mi) wide. The island’s largest town is Daruba, on the islands south coast. Almost all of Morotai’s numerous villages are coastal settlements; a paved road linking those on the east coast starts from Daruba and eventually reach Berebere, the principal town on Morotai’s east coast, 68 kilometers (42 mi) from Daruba. Between Halmahera and the islets and reefs of the west coast of Morotai is the Morotai Strait, which is about 10 kilometers (6.2 mi) wide.

A Taiwanese agency is in the process of sending a personnel training expert to the Indonesian island of Morotai, the site of a collaborative development project between the two countries, the agency responsible for the program said Tuesday.

“We will send a project manager to start a training course to develop local manpower for the tourism and travel industry,” said Lee Pai-po, deputy secretary-general of Taiwan’s International Cooperation and Development Fund (TaiwanICDF).

The manager will arrive in early February to provide training on hotel management and tourism promotion, Lee said at a regular news briefing.

Tourism is a major industry on Morotai, he said, adding that Indonesia is planning a special economic zone on the island.

TaiwanICDF has been commissioned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to be Taiwan’s operating agency for the joint development project with Indonesia. Its counterpart on the Indonesian side is the Jacabaka company.

Both organizations are set to hold a meeting in the coming months to discuss further details on the development in Morotai, Lee said.