UNICEF to help garbage management
AMBON, Maluku: A team from UNICEF will assist the Ambon administration in managing garbage by providing relevant training and technology to solve the city's waste disposal problem in February.
According to Ambon mayor Jopi Papilaja, the garbage dump in the city, originally located in Air Kuning, Sirimau district, had not functioned since the development of settlements in the area following three years of sectarian fighting n the Maluku islands.
He said Steven Allen, chief representative of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Indonesia, had also agreed to help overcome the educational quality gap in Ambon by developing integrated programs in several parts of Nusaniwe district.
"Four elementary schools, a secondary school and a high school in the district will receive students from communities in each other's areas to bridge the gap," added the mayor. --Antara
Planting of 10m trees starts in Bima
MATARAM, Lombok: The planting of 10 million trees as part of an environmental conservation movement started at Kamunti village in Bima regency, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), on Monday.
The movement was sponsored by the Lombok Post daily newspaper, based in the NTB capital, Mataram.
"No less than 1,714 teak seedlings contributed by local communities and agencies are to be planted in Kamunti today (Monday), with Bima Regent Zainul Arifin declaring the start of this movement," committee chairman Haris Andi Baso Ence said in Mataram.
The tree planting started from Bima regency in the eastern tip of West Nusa Tenggara and would continue to several parts of Lombok island in the west, for five years, to improve the environment of at least 300,000 hectares of land.
So far, 10,623 teak seedlings worth Rp 159.3 million had been collected for this purpose, he said.
However, the total was still too small compared with the 1.8 million hectares of dry land that needed replanting in West Nusa Tenggara," Haris added. --Antara
Access road to support fishery
GORONTALO, Gorontalo: The regency of Boalemo, Gorontalo, will soon build an access road worth Rp 7 billion in a joint investment with the central government to support development of the region's fisheries.
"The Ministry of Transportation will construct a port terminal and the regency is undertaking the road project to provide access to its fishery port as well as agricultural areas," Boalemo Regent Iwan Bokings said on Monday.
The building of Dulupi port in Boalemo, according to him, would follow the access road to bolster the function of Tabulo as the regency's main port, which would facilitate the transportation of fishery products.
Meanwhile, the regency administration would strive to boost its economic growth by proposing the expansion of telecommunications facilities in Boalemo to the government, in view of the region's limited telephone connections. --Antara
Priest to face trial soon
PALU, Central Sulawesi: The Central Sulawesi prosecutor's office said on Monday it would submit the dossier of Christian priest Reinaldy Damanik to court later this month.
Damanik is being detained on a charge of illegally possessing firearms and ammunitions near the troubled town of Poso, Central Sulawesi, where some 2,000 people have been killed in sectarian fighting since 2000.
Firdaus Yahya, spokesman for the province's prosecutor's office, said the case would be taken to court before Damanik's detention period ended on Jan. 28, 2003.
The suspect was arrested after security forces found him carrying 11 firearms and 144 rounds of ammunition in his car during a raid at Peleru village, Morowali district, adjacent to Poso, on Aug. 17, 2002.
The car was one of four heading from Damanik's hometown of Tentena, which was stopped during the raid.
However, Damanik denied all charges laid against him during interrogation. --Antara