Big shot denies famine in Papua

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A high-ranking government official returning from Yahukimo regency in Papua denied on Thursday a famine was underway in the isolated region, describing people there as "fat".

Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Aburizal Bakrie, who just returned from the regency, said "people in the area are fat, the pigs are big, and the corn and cabbage is growing well".

Aburizal, a well-known business tycoon, traveled to Yahukimo at the order of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono after reports began emerging that 55 people there had died of severe malnutrition since November.

The minister, however, denied there was a famine or that 55 people had died in the area. He said food was abundant in Yahukimo, except for sweet potatoes, which is a staple food in the region.

He said Yahukimo, some 800 kilometers from the provincial capital Jayapura, simply needed to improve its agricultural methods to prevent future sweet potato crop failures.

After attending a function at the Vice President's Office, Aburizal took the opportunity to criticize the media for its reporting on the so-called famine in Yahukimo, saying the stories were incorrect. He said journalists should travel to the area themselves to get firsthand information on what is happening.

"I will show you the pictures. The people there are fat," he said, adding that he did not know how the reports on the "famine" began.

While Aburizal was denying a famine was underway, the government on Thursday continued to send food and medical aid to the regency.

Aid has reached 13 of 17 remote villages most at risk of food shortages, Aburizal said.

He said to guarantee food security in the area, the government would set up food barns and send in agricultural trainers and experts to teach residents how to plant alternative crops.