Red Cross volunteers to undergo military training

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Sat, 02/06/2010 6:11 PM

The Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) will select 60 volunteers for a rigorous training under tutelage of the Special Force instructors.

PMI chief Jusuf Kalla said the special training would help prepare the volunteers for humanitarian missions in difficult terrains.

“We have received offers from the Mobile Brigade, the Special Force and the Marine Corps,” Kalla told Antara on his way to Yogyakarta on Saturday.

The special physical training will be given to PMI volunteers who live in Surabaya and Jakarta. “It’s only a small team, not all the volunteers will undergo the training,” Kalla said.

The volunteers, he added, would focus on disaster mitigation works that require high-level skills. Kalla said the volunteers would be armed with the best equipment.

“We are still negotiating the cooperation offer, its technicalities and the place for the training,” said Kalla.