Bandung Barat regency gets OK

BANDUNG: West Java province will create a new regency, making for a total of 26 regencies and municipalities.

The provincial council has approved the proposal to split Bandung regency into two, with the new regency will be named Bandung Barat.

Hundreds of residents, who have opposed the new regency, staged a protest outside the council. They prefer to have Cimahi municipality expanded to include them.

West Java provincial council speaker, A.M. Ruslan, said the proposal was approved after 15 districts in Bandung regency expressed their wish to separate since they were being neglected by the regency administration.

The council's approval will be forwarded to West Java Governor Danny Setiawan on March 25 and then to the Ministry of Home Affairs for processing. -- JP