Lembata residents live in poverty
LEWOLEBA, Lembata, East Nusa Tenggara: Almost 70 percent of 22,228 families in Lembata regency still live in poverty.
Lembata regent Andreas Duli Manuk said on Monday the three- year-old regency faced a daunting task in numerous sectors, including human resources, health and infrastructure.
About 82 percent of a total of 45,305 workers in Lembata are primary school graduates. The mortality of infants and mothers were 93 and 8 respectively of a total 2,135 births, while life expectancy is 58 years compared with a national average of 70.
Only 15 percent of the total 662 kilometers of road are in good condition. The regency has only one functioning harbor, at Balauring, and its small airport at Wunopito can only be used by light airplanes.
The economy is still dominated by farming followed by trade, finance and services and manufacturing, electricity, water, and construction industries.
-- Antara
Medan police nab drug suspects
MEDAN: Police arrested 10 people suspected to be part of a drug syndicate and confiscated 200 kilograms of marijuana on Sunday.
Three of the suspects were shot in the foot when they attempted to escape along Jl. Makmur Tembung, Deliserdang regency.
The others were arrested from the village Badak Blangkejeren and Bunga Jumpa in southeastern Aceh.
The suspects had put the marijuana into neat packages and traveled on foot to avoid a police raid on the border of Aceh and North Sumatra.
Undercover policeman Maruli Siahaan of the Medan police said they were investigating the case.
-- Antara
Papua given Rp 7.9 b for homes
MANOKWARI: The government has allocated funds of Rp. 7.9 billion in 2002 to build homes for the community in Manokwari, Papua.
The funds are to finance a project to build 488 homes in Oransbari, Windesi, Wasior, Sururay, Warmare, Prafi, Masni, and Buntuni, Manokwari head of transmigration Nafrul Efendy Hutapea said here on Monday.
The houses will be built especially for citizens of Papua. This will be possible with funds from the central government amounting to Rp. 2.2 billion. The rest came from regional administrations.
--Antara