Central Sulawesi eyes islands for tourism

Ruslan Sangadji, The Jakarta Post, Palu, Central Sulawesi

The Central Sulawesi provincial government is planning to buy three islets in the Tomini Gulf from local residents, an official has said.

The three islets, within the administrative area of Togean Islands district, Poso regency are named Pantai Jale, Pantai Karina and Pantai Kabunatom islands, Liberty Pasaribu, the head of the Tourism and Cultural Office at the provincial administration, said on Wednesday.

Liberty said that the islands would be bought by the provincial administration as the administration is planning to start ecotourism and fishery projects on them.

He added that the administration had earmarked some Rp 1.3 billion (US$152,941) to buy the islands.

The Togean community and local non-governmental organizations, however, have opposed the plan, saying that it would be against the interests of local people.

Harley, the executive director of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) Central Sulawesi chapter, said that if the plan were to be executed, then it would strip the residents of their right to live and to earn money on the islands.

The local residents are running private farm and fishery businesses on the islands.

The director of Toloka Ampana Foundation in Poso regency, Jafar M. Amin, also expressed his disapproval of the plan.

"The government should think of ways to improve the welfare of the local residents, rather than buy the islands and evict them, and turn the islands into tourist resorts," he said.

One of steps that the government can take to improve the welfare of local people is by providing soft loans for them.