Siswono says transmigration is voluntary<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The government yesterday denied allegations that
\ncoercion is used in its drive to redistribute Indonesia's
\npopulation more evenly across the archipelago.<\/p>\n
Minister of Transmigration and Forest Squatters Resettlement
\nSiswono Yudohusodo in his speech opening an international
\ncongress on population resettlement, also stressed that the
\ngovernment's transmigration program conserves nature, rather than
\ndestroys it as is often alleged.<\/p>\n
Siswono attributed these allegations to the lack of publicity
\nabout the transmigration program Indonesia has been conducting.<\/p>\n
The three-day seminar, which looks at the links between
\nresettlement and poverty alleviation efforts and is being
\nattended by around 200 people from 18 foreign countries, was
\nopened by President Soeharto at the State Palace.<\/p>\n
Siswono said no one had been coerced into moving to other
\nislands. \"Transmigration in Indonesia is voluntary, meaning that
\npeople have freely participated in the program to improve their
\nsituation,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He pointed out that almost 95 percent of the people resettled
\nunder the program have significantly improved their income.<\/p>\n
Under the program that began in 1952, the government has
\nresettled 7.2 million people from the densely-populated islands
\nof Java, Bali and Lombok to sparsely-populated areas in Sumatra,
\nKalimantan, Sulawesi and Irian Jaya.<\/p>\n
\"A majority of those resettled were poor families and had no
\nland to till,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Transmigration is also helping to conserve Indonesia's huge
\ntropical rainforest, \"the earth's lungs,\" by moving forest
\nsquatters into permanent settlements outside forests, he said.<\/p>\n
He also pointed out that some of the transmigration programs
\nare combined with the development of forestry estates near their
\nnew homes.<\/p>\n
A number of foreign delegations told The Jakarta Post that
\ntheir governments are also banking on resettlement programs to
\nspread their population and improve peoples' welfare.<\/p>\n
Namibian Minister of Resettlement and Land Rehabilitation
\nRichard Kapelwa Kabadjan said that transmigrants in his country
\nare given four to seven hectares of land for agriculture,
\nplantations and fish ponds.<\/p>\n
Sri Lankan Minister of Housing Construction and Public
\nUtilities Nimal Siripala De Silva said 58 percent of Sri Lanka's
\npopulation live in wetland which constitutes only a third of the
\ncountry's size while the two-thirds of dry land was sparsely
\npopulated.<\/p>\n
Deputy Chief of the Bangladesh Planning and Development Agency
\nGopal Chandra Sen said his country is relocating people living in
\nslums in urban and rural areas.<\/p>\n
\"People who have only 0.5 hectares of land and consume only
\naround 2,100 calories every day are classified as poor and
\nencouraged to participate in the program,\" he said. (rms)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/siswono-says-transmigration-is-voluntary-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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