Baduy people rejects govt aid

LEBAK, West Java: The indigenous Baduy tribe in Kanekes village have refused to accept government aid, stressing that it goes against their traditional beliefs.

Head of the local village development office Zainal Arifin Sastramihardja said he had already reported the case to the central government in Jakarta and is awaiting further instructions.

One alternative is to find ways of getting the funds without giving the impression that it is government aid, Zainal said as reported by the Antara news agency.

The aid program for the least developed villages, known by the Indonesian acronym IDT, sends packets of Rp 20 million to over 20,000 villages in Indonesia.

Lebak Regent Didin Muchyidin said he hopes the central government would not simply cut the aid for the Baduy people because their villages are seriously underdeveloped.

"Perhaps the aid can be distributed through other means such as through the establishment of cooperatives," he said. (pwn)