Megawati inaugurates new projects in Kupang<\/p>\n
Yemris Fointuna, The Jakarta Post, Kupang<\/p>\n
President Megawati Soekarnoputri symbolically inaugurated on
\nSunday a number of development projects worth more than Rp 704
\nbillion in East Nusa Tenggara province.<\/p>\n
The projects, financed by the state budget and foreign loans,
\nincluded the Rp 150 billion Tilong bridge in Kupang regency, and
\nthe Benenain and Alkani bridges in the town of Belu, both valued
\nat Rp 8.1 billion.<\/p>\n
Other projects that were inaugurated included irrigation works
\nin Kupang, East Flores, South Central Timor, North Central Timor
\nand Manggarai, all worth a total of Rp 94 billion.<\/p>\n
On the same day, Megawati also officially opened a Rp 300
\nbillion cement factory and ferry port in Teluk Gurita in Kupang,
\nand several elementary and junior high school buildings worth a
\ntotal of Rp 16 billion.<\/p>\n
After the inauguration ceremony, the President, accompanied by
\nher husband Taufik Kiemas, returned to Denpasar on the resort
\nisland of Bali to fly to Timor Lorosae to attend its independence
\ncelebrations.<\/p>\n
Also accompanying Megawati were a number of cabinet members,
\nincluding Coordinating Minister for Political and Security
\nAffairs Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Coordinating Minister for
\nPeople's Welfare Jusuf Kalla, Minister of Home Affairs Hari
\nSabarno, Minister of Social Affairs Bachtiar Chamsah, Minister of
\nManpower Yacob Nuwa Wea and State Secretary Bambang Kesowo.<\/p>\n
Among the entourage were also former foreign affairs minister
\nAli Alatas, and senior legislators from Megawati's Indonesian
\nDemocratic Party of Struggle (PDI Perjuangan), Arifin Panigoro
\nand Mangara Siahaan.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Ali Alatas suggested that East Nusa Tenggara should
\nno longer seek rights to conduct oil and gas exploration in the
\nTimor Gap after Timor Lorosae's independence.<\/p>\n
He was responding to calls by the East Nusa Tenggara
\nadministration and the provincial legislative council, as well as
\nlocal activists, for the central government to reopen talks on
\nthe Timor Gap.<\/p>\n
Alatas was quoted by Antara as saying the agreement between
\nIndonesia and Australia on the Timor Gap had expired, requiring
\nthe country to stop demanding a share of the oil there.<\/p>\n
Theoretically, the Timor Gap was part of Timor Lorosae
\nterritory, he argued.<\/p>\n
What needed to be pursued by Indonesia, however, was the
\nopening of talks with the new Timor Lorosae government on the
\nmaritime border, said Alatas, who was serving as foreign minister
\nwhen the former Indonesian province voted to secede on Aug. 30,
\n1999.<\/p>\n
He urged East Nusa Tenggara's government not to be pessimistic
\nabout the possibility of more revenues from outside the Timor Gap
\nas the Timor Sea had the potential to generate huge revenues for
\nthe province.<\/p>\n
Alatas did not specify where the potential lay, however.<\/p>\n
Since Timor Lorosae voted to break away from Indonesia, East
\nNusa Tenggara has been striving to obtain a share of the Timor
\nGap's resources.<\/p>\n
The struggle has won the support of all elements in the
\nprovince, including politicians and activists from non-
\ngovernmental organizations.<\/p>\n
The province's legislative council has even asked the local
\ngovernment to allocate funds for a special working committee to
\ntake responsibility for the campaign.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/megawati-inaugurates-new-projects-in-kupang-1447893297",
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