Go east, Siswono says

PAMEKASAN, Madura: Minister of Transmigration Siswono Yudohusodo is calling on Maduranese people, known for their love of traveling, to settle in the less-developed eastern areas of Indonesia.

Siswono was here to launch a campaign to encourage people from densely populated areas of Java, Bali and Madura to resettle in the sparsely occupied areas of Eastern Indonesia, Antara reported yesterday. Most of the Maduranese have settled in areas of western Indonesia, in such places as Sumatera and West Kalimantan, Siswono said.

"You should now go east -- to Sulawesi, Maluku, Halmahera, and Irian Jaya," Siswono said.

Pamekasan Regent Soebagio said that, given the condition of Madura Island, his residents do not have any other option but to transmigrate. The 7,930 hectare regency, for instance, has a population of 657,785 with a density of 830 people per kilometer, while job opportunities are scarce. (swe)