Bengkulu to expand regencies

Bengkulu to expand regencies

BENGKULU, Bengkulu: The Bengkulu provincial legislative council is discussing plans to create more regencies in the resource-rich province in a bid to speed up the development there.

With approximately 1.6 million people living in the 20,000 kilometer-wide Bengkulu, it is currently comprised of four regencies.

The local legislature has set up a special committee to discuss the plans for the province's expansion.

Dedi Rosadi, who chairs the committee, said South Bengkulu would be split into three regencies -- Kaur, Seluma and South Bengkulu.

"The two districts (Kaur and Seluma) are fully prepared to be made new regencies in terms of their potential natural resources, geographic locations and the size of their population," he said.

Dedi said that Bengkulu was one of the provinces that has not expanded since 1967. --Antara