Forest dwellers blamed for fires

SAMARINDA, E. Kalimantan: Some 120 hectares of the 200,000- hectare Kutai National Park have been ravaged by forest fires which local authorities claim have been started by forest dwellers in the last two months.

Park warden Warsito said 27 forest rangers assigned to monitor the area have also had difficulty in controlling the outbreak of the fires because of some 600 families living in the area.

Warsito said most of the fires were caused by slash-and-burn practices of the forest dwellers.

He said the effort of the provincial administration to relocate the forest dwellers has not been successful.

"The forest dwellers earn up to Rp 3 million (US$1,050) a month from growing pepper and cultivating fish," Warsito was quoted by Antara as saying.