Denmark to donate ballot boxes

JAYAPURA, Irian Jaya: Denmark will donate 10,000 ballot boxes to Irian Jaya to help facilitate the June 7 polls in the country's easternmost province, Chairman of the General Election Commission (KPU) Rudini said.

"The 10,000 ballot boxes will soon be sent to Irian Jaya," Rudini said here on Sunday as quoted by Antara.

The ballot boxes are made of plastic so will not easily be damaged during transportation from the polling booths in remote areas to subdistrict capitals and then to the provincial capital, he said.

Unlike other provinces in Indonesia, Irian Jaya has a complex transportation problem, in that the ballot boxes must be transported from polling booths to the provincial capital through mountains, hills and rivers.

In view of the difficult land transportation, the KPU has decided to ask the Danish government to provide Irian Jaya with plastic ballot boxes, he said.

"I did that because when I was home affairs minister, I knew a lot about the difficulties faced by the local government and political parties," he said.