Famine affects hundreds on Lombok

MATARAM, West Nusa Tenggara: A senior official disclosed on Wednesday that currently, a total 332 people were suffering from malnutrition on Lombok Island.

West Nusa Tenggara Deputy Governor, Thamrin Rayes, said that the large number of people with ailments resulting from a lack of food had surprised the government. The province actually runs a surplus in rice production and sells to other provinces, however hundreds of people were starving, he admitted. The provincial government is helping those people with their medical treatment, while it is also taking measures to prevent further malnutrition, said Thamrin. -- JP