Council rejects Irian provincial division

JAYAPURA, Irian Jaya: The Irian Jaya Legislative Council on Saturday rejected the central government's policy to divide the province into three new provinces, and demanded the next president revoke the decree installing two new governors for the territory.

The council concluded in a plenary session that the government must listen to the people's aspiration. It was suggested that the process must begin from the village level and then move up to the district and regency levels.

"We have to care for people ... they've been staging mass protests and they deserved to be heard," Council Speaker Nataniel Kaiway said.

The government elected to divide Irian Jaya into three provinces to ensure more equitable development in the huge territory. The Ministry of Home Affairs appointed on Tuesday Herman Monim as governor of Central Irian Jaya and Abraham O. Ataruri as governor of West Irian Jaya. Former Irian Jaya governor Freddy Numberi has been appointed governor of East Irian Jaya.

Freddy said he had conveyed the message to Jakarta and had requested the government delay implementation of the new policy. (34/edt)