Former lepers resettled

UJUNGPANDANG, South Sulawesi: Fifty-five former lepers who rely on government assistance will be resettled in Gowa regency so that they can live independently after they undergo vocational training.

If the resettlement program is successful another 300 former lepers will follow, the chief of the local social service ministry office, Abdul Karim, said here yesterday.

The 55 former lepers are entitled to 400 hectares of agricultural land, housing, farming equipment and foodstuff before they enjoy the first harvest in their new homes in Gowa, he said.

They will also receive training on farming and husbandry, Antara reported.

South Sulawesi has about 7,000 lepers. In 1984, the number of people with the disease reached 23,870. Some 6.1 to every 10,000 people have leprosy. (pan)