... the President will visit Morotai April 5 ..."
Ternate (ANTARA News) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) is scheduled to visit the Morotai Island District in North Maluku next Tuesday (April 5) to inaugurate a solar power plant at Wawama village, local government spokesman Akri Y. Wijaya remarked.

"I have received a report from the regional secretary of North Maluku which said that the President will visit Morotai April 5, so we have coordinated it with the relevant parties here," he said.

Following the information, the district government of Morotai Island has held a coordination meeting and formed a committee to welcome the President, Wijaya said.

Morotai Island is an island in the Halmahera group of eastern Indonesia's Maluku Islands. It is one of Indonesia's northernmost islands. Morotai is a rugged, forested island lying to the north of Halmahera.

During the 15th century and 16, Morotai was under the influence of the Sultanate of Ternate ruling. Core is a large area called Moro that included the island and the coast of Halmahera closest to Morotai to the south.

In the mid 16th century, the island became a Portuguese Jesuit mission. Muslim sultanate of Ternate and Halmahera offended will pioneer the spread of religious activity and try to prevent the mission from the island in 1571, as a result, the Portuguese leave the region.

In the 17th century, Ternate use its power over Morotai by repeatedly ordered the inhabitants to move from the island. At the beginning of the century, its inhabitants moved to Dodinga, a small town on the west coast of Halmahera strategic point.

Then in 1627 and 1628, Sultan Hamzah of Ternate ordered the relocation of the Christian population to Malay, Ternate, to be more easily controlled.

Morotai Island became the airstrip for the Japanese during World War II. The island was taken over by US forces in September 1944 and used as the basis for the Allied invasion to the Philippines in early 1945 and Borneo to the east in May and June of that year.

A base for attacks on Java in October 1945 were postponed after Japan's surrender in August.

Morotai Island mostly forested and produces timber and resin and is very strategic as trading points in eastern Indonesia. In addition, the island of Morotai have natural resources like Gold, Iron ore, etc., are also fascinating potential for marine tourism.

According to the locals, Morotai comes from the word that means the dwelling Morotia people moro. Moro human person is mysterious or missing persons (Java - Moksha) which are hard to see with the naked eye, but have culture as a group of ordinary people.

Morotai Island Regency Society has tended to live in groups, though different from each other confidence. Kegotogroyongan, mutual respect for differences in beliefs become one of the characteristics of Morotai Island Regency society.
(Uu.O001/INE/KR-BSR)

Editor: Priyambodo RH
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