Investors set to start business in Poso soon: Regent

Investors set to start business in Poso soon: Regent

Antara, Poso

More than 40 local and foreign investors are set to put billions of rupiah into Poso regency, Central Sulawesi, when the violence in the area settles, Regent Piet Ingkiriwang said.

Piet said on Saturday the investment was intended to develop natural resources in the regency.

"The amount of the total new investment, which will soon be channeled here, could be worth trillions of rupiah," Piet said.

He said investors planned to develop oil palm plantations of 35,000 hectares, a cacao factory and a marble quarry.

He said other sectors that could be developed included gold mining, tourism and fisheries.

"Several prospective investors had expressed their intention to start their projects early this month but they have postponed them for a while following the latest security problems in the regency," Piet said.

Tensions were still high in Poso after the beheadings of three Christian schoolgirls last week, with about 1,000 more police and soldiers sent to the area to prevent further unrest.

Piet hoped Poso residents and security personnel would work together to bring calm to the area and improve the regency's image.

"I have to insist that there's nothing to worry about in Poso because the relationship between the (former) conflicting communities is now good," he said.

He warned that further disorder would make it hard for the regional administration to continue reconstruction in the area after Muslim-Christian clashes in 2000 and 2001 killed more than 1,000 people and left hundreds of buildings destroyed.

"Those investors could postpone their work here again. If this happens, it's the Poso residents who will suffer because it will slow down the administration's programs, including work to cut the region's unemployment rate," he said.

Poso National Awakening Party leader Firdaus Tato blamed the many media reports about the latest violence in the regency for creating the negative image.

"Report of an incident should ... include thorough information about Poso residents' situation in general," Firdaus said.

He called for reporters to come to the region to witness the positive work being done.

"The latest (terrorist) actions recently were the acts of irresponsible people who want the area to revert back into chaos.

"The residents here, God willing, are not going to fall for this trick because both Muslims and Christians understand it and both condemn the provocateurs and see them as a common enemy," he said.