Government vows to accelerate Irian development<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The government would never victimize Irian
\nJaya's indigenous population in its effort to develop the
\ncountry's easternmost province, President Soeharto said
\nyesterday.<\/p>\n
He said the government would accelerate Irian Jaya's
\ndevelopment because the province was far behind Indonesia's other
\nprovinces. He also promised to fully involve local people in the
\ndevelopment policy-making process.<\/p>\n
\"The ongoing development efforts will not cause suffering for
\nthe people. No single person will be neglected or left behind,\"
\nSoeharto promised in a teleconference from the presidential Bina
\nGraha office with Irian Jaya villagers in Jayapura.<\/p>\n
The President chaired the third plenary meeting of the Eastern
\nDevelopment Council yesterday before talking with the villagers.<\/p>\n
The council was formed in 1993 by Soeharto, with State
\nMinister of Research and Technology B.J. Habibie as its executive
\nchairman.<\/p>\n
During the teleconference, Soeharto also symbolically
\ninaugurated the Biak Integrated Economic Development Zone
\n(Kapet).<\/p>\n
Kapet is made up of parts of the Biak Numfor, Paniai, Yapen
\nWaropen, Manokwari and Mimika districts. Kapet will focus its
\ndevelopment activities on the tourist, industrial, fisheries,
\nmining and agricultural sectors.<\/p>\n
Soeharto also inaugurated a 550-kilometer-long highway
\nconnecting Jayapura and Wamena, and the Mamberamo and Maroo
\nbridges.<\/p>\n
\"You (tribal chiefs) are expected to promote the benefits of
\ndevelopment so there will be no more fear that development would
\nonly create suffering for the people,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Experts have noted that the Irianese have often been treated
\nby the government merely as the object, rather than participants,
\nof development. Poorly educated local people, some with
\nlifestyles similar to their ancestors in the stone age, are often
\nunable to compete with migrants, mostly from Java.<\/p>\n
Clashes between indigenous people and migrants have often been
\nunavoidable.<\/p>\n
During the teleconference, the head of the Biak Economic Zone,
\nBrig. Gen. Frans de Wana, asked the President to order Garuda
\nIndonesia to reopen the Jakarta-Biak-Honolulu air route.<\/p>\n
Frans pointed out that Biak's tourist industry had greatly
\nbenefited from the route's stopover in the province.<\/p>\n
\"I fully support your idea and will try to make it a reality,\"
\nSoeharto answered.<\/p>\n
Rains<\/p>\n
Irian Jaya grabbed both domestic and international attention
\nlast year when the prolonged dry season caused hundreds of deaths
\nin some of its most severely affected regions.<\/p>\n
However, as of Monday, it was reported that heavy rains which
\nbegan earlier this month have brought relief for Jayawijaya, the
\nmost severely affected regency, enabling locals to till their
\nland again.<\/p>\n
The director of the local disaster management command post in
\nthe regency's capital of Wamena, A. Kohar, told The Jakarta Post
\nby telephone Monday that conditions for locals had begun to
\nimprove.<\/p>\n
\"Thanks to the rain and all the relief efforts, the villagers
\nhave regained the hope and strength to cultivate their land,\"
\nKohar said.<\/p>\n
He said the command post had distributed food and medical
\nsupplies sent by the central government and donors in Jakarta.<\/p>\n
As of Jan. 8, more than Rp 1.5 billion (US$200,000) in
\ndonations had been channeled into the command post's bank account
\nfor the relief effort.<\/p>\n
The money was used to buy rice from the local logistics agency
\nand transport it to villages, he said.<\/p>\n
\"We have only a few tons of rice left to distribute to
\nvillagers, so we need to buy some more.\"<\/p>\n
According to officials, 447 of the district's 447,000 people
\ndied of drought-related illnesses and malnutrition last year. The
\nPuncak Jaya, Merauke and Mimika regencies were also affected by
\nthe drought which was believed to have been aggravated by the El
\nNio weather phenomenon.<\/p>\n
Twenty-four people died in Puncak Jaya and 82 in Merauke. In
\nMimika, at least 137 have reportedly died of malaria.<\/p>\n
Efforts to help the villagers were often hampered by difficult
\nterrain, bad weather and the absence of ground transportation.
\nMany of the stricken areas are isolated and could only be reached
\nby air transportation.<\/p>\n
The government has allocated Rp 262 billion for relief efforts
\nspanning from December 1997 to March 1998 to the drought-stricken
\nareas. (prb\/aan)<\/p>",
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